Apartment 29B
by Leonhart17
Summary: [AU Squiona] Squall's quiet world is rocked when he meets his new neighbor, the fiesty Rinoa Heartilly. Summary sucks, oh well, read it anyway.
1. Out with the old, In with the new

**Apartment 29B**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FF8, Squaresoft has that right. This applies for the whole fic.**

AN: Ok, this is an AU fic.  
  
Here are some of the ages:  
Squall: 19  
Rinoa: 19  
Seifer: 19  
Quistis: 19  
Zell: 18  
  
I have never really been a fan of Selphie or Irvine so I doubt they will appear in the fic, but you never know. (Selphie and Irvine lovers please don't flame me).  
  
Squall is OOC but I wrote him like that and I hope you guys don't mind but that is how he needs to be for this to work out.  
  
**Out with the old, in with the new**  
  
Rinoa Heartily grunted as she tried to open the door of her new apartment. The doorknob was stuck and she couldn't turn the key to open the lock.  
  
After trying for several minutes she settled for backing up to the wall and kicking the door open.  
  
A loud bang from next door jerked Squall Leonhart's attention from his weights. He groaned tiredly as he set the bar back into its place above his head and sat up. He grabbed a bottle of water from his refrigerator as he walked to his door and stuck his head out.  
  
There was a pretty brunette standing in the hallway outside of the apartment next to his. She was around 5' 3" and had shoulder length dark brown hair with golden highlights and brown eyes. She was wearing black shorts and a black tank top with a blue duster over it. She looked over at him as his head poked out of his doorway.  
  
"Is there a problem out here, Miss?" he asked politely.  
  
She blushed as she shook her head.  
  
"No, I couldn't get my door opened, that's all," she replied.  
  
He gave a small smile.  
  
"Yeah, my door used to do that when I first moved in too. Hang on a second and I'll get something to fix it," Squall offered.  
  
The unknown woman nodded gratefully and his head moved back inside his apartment.  
  
Squall came back into the hallway carrying a screwdriver and a small can of grease.  
  
Rinoa got her first look at her new neighbor. He was around 5' 8" in height and had brown hair that hung down to his chin. His eyes were a shocking blue. He was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt.  
  
"If you want to get started unpacking I can get this fixed really quickly for you, ma'am"  
  
"Oh, we haven't been introduced. I'm Rinoa Heartily. I just moved here."  
  
"Squall Leonhart, lived here all my life."  
  
She shook his hand and went inside the apartment to have a look around. He knelt down next to the door and began to dismantle it with the screwdriver.  
  
He had both knobs off and was fiddling with the latch when Rinoa exited the apartment and went down the stairs.  
  
She returned several minutes later dragging a heavy suitcase. Squall saw her reach the landing on their floor and stood up from his work on the door and went to help her with the heavy luggage.  
  
He placed it in her room and went back to work on the doorknob while she went back downstairs to get more bags and boxes.  
  
Each time she would arrive at the top of the stairs with her bag or box Squall would be there to take it from her hands and carry it to her room.  
  
By the time she had gotten all of her bags and boxes up to her new apartment, he had finished dismantling the doorknob, realigning the latch, and reassembling the doorknob.  
  
Squall stood up from where he was kneeling by the front door and Rinoa walked over to examine his work.  
  
He demonstrated his repairs by turning the knob back and forth and closing the door. He opened it again and she tried her key in the lock. It worked perfectly.  
  
"Thank you so much for your help."  
  
Squall shrugged.  
  
"It was nothing."  
  
They stood there for a moment in silence before Squall turned to leave the room.  
  
"See ya," he said quietly as he left the room.  
  
Rinoa stretched as she finished setting up her bathroom. Since her furniture had not arrived yet she had little else she could do until she had furniture.  
  
She inflated the air mattress that she was going to use until her bed arrived and then decided to make some supper.  
  
She found her pots and pans in a box in the kitchen and unpacked them. Then she decided to make spaghetti.  
  
When she turned on the water, however, she heard a loud creaking noise and water gushed from the cabinet under the sink.  
  
"Uh oh," she said as she stared at the puddle forming on the floor.  
  
Squall was taking his dinner out of the oven when he heard someone pounding on his door.  
  
He sighed and set his dish of chicken alfredo on the counter as he went to answer the door.  
  
Rinoa stood on the other side, looking panicked.  
  
"Squall, the pipe in my kitchen burst. Can I use your phone?"  
  
He nodded and stepped aside to let her in. He pointed her to the phone and went over to check on her house.  
  
When he returned she was just hanging up the phone.  
  
"A plumber should be here soon to have a look at it."  
  
"It'll be okay until they get here. I turned the water off in your apartment so it's not flooding anymore."  
  
"Thanks, I appreciate it."  
  
"So what were you doing when the pipe burst?" he questioned.  
  
"I was trying to make dinner," she responded.  
  
As if to validate her statement her stomach growled loudly. She blushed and he smiled.  
  
"Take some of mine," he offered her, gesturing to the dish of chicken and noodles in sauce that sat, lightly steaming, on the counter.  
  
She shook her head, "I couldn't take your dinner."  
  
He didn't listen and fetched two plates from a shelf. He scooped his own portion onto one of the plates and set it aside. He scooped another portion onto the other plate and offered it to her.  
  
She reluctantly took it from him and he motioned to the small round table that stood nearby.  
  
"Have a seat," he offered and she slowly sat down.  
  
He joined her a moment later and handed her a fork as he sat across the table from her.  
  
"Thank you very much for dinner Squall," Rinoa said as she began to eat.  
  
"No problem, you didn't have any and you don't know your way around yet so it was just easier to give you some of mine," he said before digging in to his dinner.  
  
The two neighbors didn't say anything else until they were both finished eating. When Rinoa pushed her plate away, finished, Squall took it and his over to the sink and began to wash them. He pulled back in surprise when his new neighbor appeared at his shoulder and took them from him as he finished rinsing them.  
  
"I ate half of your food, I should at least help clean up," she explained as she began to dry the dishes.  
  
After they finished the chore of doing the dishes they reseated themselves at the table with drinks and began to talk, waiting for the plumber to arrive.  
  
"So what do you do?" Rinoa questioned as she sipped her water.  
  
"I'm a mechanic," Squall replied. "What do you do?"  
  
"I'm a writer," she responded.  
  
"What kind of thing do you write?" he asked her, drinking from his water.  
  
"I'm in the process of writing a novel but I also write for a column at a newspaper in Deling City."  
  
"Is that where you used to live?"  
  
She nodded in response.   
  
Before either could say anything else they heard a knocking sound coming from down the hall.  
  
Squall went to the door and checked.  
  
"The plumber is here," he stated as he turned back to Rinoa.  
  
She nodded and stood to leave.  
  
"Thank you very much for supper."  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"No big deal."  
  
She smiled at him and turned to walk away.  
  
"I'll see you around," she said over her shoulder as she walked up the hall to meet the plumber.


	2. Talking Shop

**Talking Shop**  
  
Zell Dincht looked up from the work order he was reading when his friend Squall Leonhart came into the garage.  
  
Zell was a hyper blonde who stood around 5'5" in height and had very spiky hair and a unique tattoo on the left side of his face. He wore baggy faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt.  
  
"Sup Squall," he greeted his friend.  
  
Squall shrugged and took off his leather jacket.  
  
"What do we have lined up for today?" he asked as he tucked his favorite jacket safely into his locker.  
  
"Um," Zell checked his list, "we have to service the transmission on that Honda and Seifer wanted you to check over his motorcycle before his race this weekend. Oh, and that Mustang parked outside needed to get a supercharger installed if we had any time left after all the oil changes we have to do," he finished as he displayed the long list of oil changes.  
  
Squall cracked a small smile as he looked at Zell.  
  
"Zell that Mustang is yours, if you want a supercharger put in today then we just have to work faster on the other stuff. If you take the transmission job while I work on Seifer's bike we can split the rest of the oil changes and get done sooner."  
  
"Sure thing boss," Zell replied as he retrieved the keys to the Honda from a hook on the wall.  
  
The garage where the two friends worked was the only automotive repair garage on the small island of Balamb and as such, its two workers always had more to do than time to do it. They did tune ups and oil changes and they even had a paint shop in the back where they could apply custom paint jobs to the rides of the teenage population of Balamb.  
  
While Zell worked on the Honda in the main area of the garage Squall went into the back of the shop.  
  
A tall blonde man with green eyes and a lean build was leaning against the wall outside the shop as Squall walked out the back door.  
  
"When did you get into town Seifer?" Squall asked the blonde man as he shook the man's hand.  
  
"Last night, late," Seifer Almasy replied.  
  
"So what's wrong with your bike now?" Squall asked as he bent to inspect the gleaming black motorcycle.  
  
Seifer shrugged as he kneeled down next to his friend.  
  
"Nothing in particular, just wanted to get it checked over before the race. You know Quistis would freak if my bike was messed up and I rode anyway."  
  
Squall nodded and began to inspect the bike. After walking around checking everything out Squall straightened up and turned back to Seifer.  
  
"Everything is fine so Quistis can stop her worrying."  
  
Seifer grinned at his long time friend and laughed. Seifer Almasy, Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, and Seifer's girlfriend Quistis Trepe had all grown up in Balamb together. The four children had been the best of friends since they were little and Quistis and Seifer had begun dating when they were in high school. Seifer and Quistis had moved to Deling City so that Quistis could further her writing career and Seifer could start racing his motorcycle. Zell and Squall had stayed in Balamb, Zell so that he could stay close to his aged, widowed mother, and Squall stayed because he had no where else to go.   
  
Squall was an orphan. His foster family had lived in Balamb until he turned eighteen. When his step-father, Laguna, decided to move their family to Esthar to pursue his political career Squall had decided that he did not want to leave Balamb and had refused to go. He still wrote to his step-mother, Raine, and his step-sister, Ellone sometimes, when he wasn't swamped with work.  
  
"So, you and Zell want to come to the race on Saturday? You know Quistis would love to see you."  
  
Squall shrugged.   
  
"I guess so, we'll have to see how much work we have left Friday afternoon," Squall replied to his friend's offer.  
  
The two reentered the main garage where Zell was finishing up the work on the Honda.  
  
"Well, Seifer we have a lot of work to get done, so unless you want to stick around and help then I think you're gonna be pretty bored here," Zell said as he got into the car to pull it out of the garage.  
  
Seifer shrugged.   
  
"I used to work here too, if you remember that far back," he said as he took off his long trench coat and stuck it in a locker.  
  
"It was two years ago," Zell objected.  
  
"I bet I can do more oil changes that either one of you two," Seifer challenged.  
  
Squall and Zell glanced at each other.  
  
"You're on," Zell responded.

* * *

Rinoa Heartily groaned as she lay on the floor under her newly reassembled computer desk.  
  
"Why do they make these things so hard to put together," she said to herself as she labored on hooking her computer back together.  
  
During the trip from Deling City the cords and wires had become hopelessly twisted and she was having a hard time trying to figure out which wire went where.  
  
Just as she was starting to make progress there was a loud knock on her door. She bolted upright, totally forgetting that she was lying under a desk.  
  
Her head collided sharply with the underside of the desk. She fell back onto her back and groaned as her hands went to her head.  
  
She rolled out from under the desk as the pounding on the door resumed.  
  
"I'm coming," she shouted as she got slowly to her feet.  
  
She pulled the door open groggily, hand on her head. The moving man was holding a clipboard and looking impatient.  
  
"Sign here," he demanded, shoving the board into her hands and indicating a line with his pen.  
  
She did as he requested and handed it back to him. The large man moved out of the door way and two other men began bringing furniture into her apartment.  
  
Rinoa fixed herself a bag of ice for her head and leaned against the counter watching as the men brought her bed frame and table and other furniture into her house.  
  
When they were done she tipped them and they left. The scene of chaos left in their wake was enough to make her woozy. She had just flopped onto the couch that rested in her kitchen when there was another knock on the door.  
  
"I already tipped you," she screamed as she rolled off the couch to her feet.  
  
She ripped the door open and was stunned to see a tall, beautiful, blonde woman standing there.  
  
"Quistis," she cried, pulling her friend into a hug, "Why are you here?"  
  
Quistis Trepe smiled as she returned her friend's hug.  
  
"You move away and expect me not to come help you settle in? Just because you feel the 'small town life' will help your writing does not mean that you get to cut off contact with the city folk."  
  
Quistis was a tall woman with blue eyes and long golden hair that perfectly suited her trim figure.  
  
She and Rinoa had met when Quistis had applied for a job at a newspaper in Deling City. Since Rinoa was planning on leaving the paper to move to Balamb the editors told her to train Quistis to take over the column that Rinoa was writing. The two girls had become fast friends in a short amount of time.  
  
Quistis and Rinoa worked together to quickly move the furniture to the room it would reside in. They moved the bed and mattress into the bedroom but did not put it together. When they were finished arranging the furniture they both sat on the couch, drinking bottles of water.  
  
"So, besides visiting me why are you in town?" Rinoa asked as she stretched out on the couch.  
  
"My boyfriend Seifer wanted to come visit some of our friends that live here so I decided I'd come with him and visit you."  
  
"Didn't you want to visit your other friends?" Rinoa asked.  
  
Quistis shrugged.   
  
"We see each other a lot anyway. My friends Zell and Squall are mechanics and Squall is the only one allowed to work on Seifer's motorcycle, so they are always coming to the races and stuff."  
  
"Squall? My new neighbor's name is Squall."  
  
"Really? I wonder if it him."  
  
"Well, what does your friend look like?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"He's got brown hair that comes down to his chin, blue eyes, and he's not very tall but he's got muscles. You can't tell Seifer but I've always thought Squall was hot."  
  
Rinoa grinned at Quistis.  
  
"Yeah that's him all right."  
  
Quistis laughed.  
  
"So you thought he was hot too?"  
  
Rinoa blushed but nodded. Quistis grinned and threw her arms around her friend.  
  
"It's good to see you," Quistis said as she hugged her friend.  
  
"I've only been gone for two days," Rinoa replied.  
  
"Well I still missed you." She paused. "What are you doing this weekend?"  
  
"Um, I don't have any plans yet."  
  
"Why don't you come to Seifer's race on Saturday? Zell and Squall will be there but they will stay in the pit area so I never have anyone to sit with."  
  
Rinoa considered for a moment and nodded.  
  
"I'll be there."

* * *

The three guys were all working on cars when they heard the door to the garage open.  
  
"Hold on a minute, we'll be right there," Squall called from his position under a van.  
  
He rolled out from under the car and was surprised to be looking straight up into the baby blues of one of his oldest friends.  
  
"Quistis, when did you get in town?" he asked as he jumped to his feet.  
  
"I came with Seifer, didn't he tell you I was here?"  
  
Squall hugged her as he said, "No, it must have slipped his mind."  
  
"It was supposed to be a surprise," Seifer objected.  
  
Zell heard Quistis' voice and quickly extricated himself from the vehicle he was working on.  
  
"Hey Quisty," he cried as he ran over and scooped Quistis up in a hug.  
  
After they had released her she moved to hug Seifer and he wrapped an arm around her waist.  
  
"Did you have fun with your friend?" he asked her.  
  
She nodded and grinned.  
  
"She's coming to the race on Saturday."  
  
"That's cool," Seifer responded.  
  
Zell stretched and yawned.  
  
Squall smiled and checked his watch.  
  
"It's 5:30, Zell I vote we wrap it up for the day. We got everything we needed to get done finished so we can take it easy tomorrow. I'll put the supercharger in the Mustang tomorrow, okay?"  
  
Zell grinned widely.  
  
"Booya baby, work's done."  
  
The rest of his friends grinned at him.  
  
"Well, Quis we haven't seen you in a few weeks, lets go out and get a bite to eat and catch up," Squall suggested.  
  
The rest of the group nodded and they quickly gathered their things and closed the garage.  
  
They quickly journeyed across the road to a small café that they had hung out at while they were in high school. They chose a small table in the back and were soon munching on their cheeseburgers.  
  
"So, is either of you two seeing anyone?" Quistis asked as she sipped her chocolate milkshake.  
  
Zell grinned and blushed.  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes.  
  
"I'm going out with a girl named Sally. She works at the library at the other end of town," Zell explained.  
  
"And what about you Squall?" she asked.  
  
The quiet brunette shrugged, "No one yet."  
  
"Have you met anyone you're interested in?"  
  
He shrugged again before eating a scoop of his ice cream sundae.   
  
"Oh, come on Squall. Give me something," she pleaded.  
  
He thought for a moment.  
  
"Fine I think my new neighbor is pretty," he offered after another scoop of ice cream.  
  
Seifer and Zell couldn't stop the smirks that leapt to their faces. Quistis grinned and Squall concentrated on his sundae.  
  
"Bingo," Quistis murmured to herself. 


	3. Crash and Burn

**Crash and Burn**  
  
The roar of the engines soothed Seifer as he stood beside his bike in the pit lane at the speedway.  
  
He stretched his arms up over his head as he turned to survey the crowd. His green gaze caught sight of a tall blonde woman in the front row and he smirked.  
  
Quistis knew, without being able to see his face clearly, that Seifer was watching her and she smirked. She leaned over to the man sitting beside her and asked him a question. The man, pleased with getting some attention from the gorgeous woman, smiled and answered.  
  
On the track Seifer's smirk had vanished and a dark scowl took its place.   
  
After a few moments of idle chat she turned back to the track. Quistis smirked wider. She could feel his glare.  
  
She watched him move towards the stands and her smirk turned into a grin.  
  
"Why hello sweetie," she exclaimed in mock surprise as he arrived at the bottom of the wall.  
  
Seifer just scowled up at her as she leaned over the wall. He was about to launch into an angry tirade when a brunette poked her head over the wall next to Quistis.  
  
"Oh, Seifer, I want you to meet Rinoa, a friend from work who just moved here."  
  
Rinoa extended her hand down to Seifer and he took it and kissed it gallantly.  
  
Rinoa blushed and giggled at his antics and Quistis scowled down at her innocent looking boyfriend.  
  
"Rinoa, this is my idiot boyfriend Seifer I've been telling you about."  
  
"Hey, turnabout is fair play baby," Seifer protested from below them.  
  
Quistis and Seifer smirked at each other and she sighed and blew him a kiss. He mimed catching it and she smiled.  
  
"Say 'hey' to Squall and Zell for me and tell them that we are all going out after the race."  
  
Seifer nodded and walked away.  
  
Several minutes later the loud roaring of engines filled the arena. The race was about to begin.  
  
Seifer was on his bike, sitting at the starting line with the other riders.   
  
The green flag dropped and the racers all shot away from the line. Several were running neck and neck at the first turn but a rider that was on the inside of the turn managed to get ahead of the others when the course straightened back out.  
  
The new pack leader handled the next couple turns with ease and then disaster struck. The rider, overconfident, didn't brake enough to take a sharp hairpin turn and his bike slid off the track and fell to its side. Its momentum kept it moving at a startling speed across the grass on the sides of the track.  
  
The rider hunched his shoulders and waited for the impact he knew was coming. The bike collided hard with the wall, smashing the rider against the hard concrete wall.  
  
Quistis was instantly on her feet, vaulting over the wall into the pit area and sprinting across the grass to the fallen bike and rider. Following close behind her came Squall, Zell, and Rinoa.  
  
An EMS unit pulled up near them and the workers, carrying stretchers, firmly forced their way through the group surrounding Seifer, who lay unconscious on the ground, and Quistis, who had fallen to her knees next to him.  
  
Two men lifted him to the stretcher and loaded it into the ambulance. Quistis quickly climbed in beside it and the two men closed up the truck.  
  
Squall, Zell, and Rinoa watched in silence as the ambulance bearing their friends drove quickly off the track and towards the hospital.  
  
Zell shook himself out of his trance and grabbed Squall's arm.  
  
"C'mon man, we gotta go to the hospital. Quistis is gonna need us."  
  
Squall nodded and the two turned to leave. Rinoa was standing behind them.  
  
"Can I ride with you two? Quistis is my friend too."  
  
Squall nodded and the group ran quickly to the parking lot.  
  
Zell leapt into his silver Mustang and tore out of the lot.  
  
Rinoa hesitated when Squall ran to his dark blue Trans-Am.  
  
"I rode here with Quistis, can I get a ride with you?" she asked her neighbor quickly.  
  
He nodded and she climbed into the passenger seat.  
  
Squall quickly shifted gears and the car roared out of the parking lot. He made several quick turns down back roads and soon enough they found themselves outside the hospital.  
  
They quickly parked and ran to the front desk. The nurse gave them directions to Seifer's room but couldn't tell them any other information. The two bolted for the elevator and rode it to the right floor. While they were in the elevator Squall's cell phone began to ring. He answered it.  
  
"Yeah? ... Just take it to my garage ... Yeah, I'll come take a look at it later... Thanks."  
  
Just then the doors opened and Squall shoved the phone back into his pocket as he and Rinoa walked quickly to the waiting room on that floor. They found Zell pacing the room anxiously.  
  
"Have they told you anything?" Squall asked.  
  
Zell just shook his head.  
  
"He's still in with the doctors, Quistis is worried out of her mind. She's down there with him."  
  
Squall grabbed Zell's shoulders and forced the shorter man into a chair. Squall sat down next to him and Rinoa sat beside Squall.  
  
"Just calm down Zell, we don't know anything yet. They'll tell us soon I'm sure."  
  
The spiky headed blonde nodded and stared distractedly at the door from the patient's rooms.  
  
It was three hours before they heard any news on their friend's condition. A doctor came into the waiting room and Zell shot to his feet.  
  
"Are you Seifer Almasy's friend's?"  
  
Squall nodded and the doctor extended his hand to shake. Squall took it and the doctor nodded.  
  
"I'm Doctor Lamb, I performed the surgery on Seifer."  
  
"What's wrong with him? Is he okay?" Zell interrupted impatiently.  
  
"He had broken several ribs and one of them punctured a lung. I had to go in and fix it. He should be fine in a few weeks."  
  
"What about Quistis? How is she doing?" Rinoa asked.  
  
The doctor frowned in thought.  
  
"Is Quistis the young woman that refused to go away the whole time I was working?"  
  
Squall gave a tiny smile.  
  
"Yeah that's her."  
  
"She's very worried but I think she is okay," Doctor Lamb replied.  
  
"Can we see them now?" Zell asked.  
  
The doctor nodded and Squall shook his hand before running down the hall after Zell and Rinoa.  
  
When they ran into Seifer's room they found Quistis sitting in a chair next to the bed while a nurse was checking the sleeping Seifer's pulse.  
  
The nurse left and the friends gathered around the bed. Rinoa stood behind Quistis' chair and Zell and Squall stood on the other side of the bed.  
  
Quistis didn't acknowledge their presence but just sat there, staring at Seifer while holding his hand.  
  
Rinoa slowly reached out and placed her hand on the worried woman's shoulders. Quistis slowly turned in her chair to look up at Rinoa, while still holding Seifer's hand. When Quistis' blue eyes met the caring brown eyes of her friend she finally allowed herself to cry. Rinoa quickly dropped to her knees next to Quistis' chair and pulled her friend into a hug. Quistis' free arm wound around Rinoa's neck and she began to sob.  
  
Squall and Zell exchanged looks when Quistis began to cry. She was their oldest friend and was the strongest of them all. They had never actually seen her cry. To see her like this made them uncomfortable.  
  
Rinoa looked over the bed at the two and nodded slightly towards the door. Squall nodded and pulled Zell from the room. Rinoa returned her full attention to comforting her friend.  
  
"Shhh, it's okay. He's going to be fine. They said he would be better in a few weeks. Don't worry."  
  
Quistis sat back and wiped her eyes with her hand. Rinoa handed her a tissue and smiled gently at her.  
  
"I was so afraid I was going to lose him. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I lost him. Especially if I didn't…" Quistis sniffled as she stopped speaking.  
  
"Didn't what?" Rinoa asked gently.  
  
"If I didn't tell him…" the other girl responded quietly.  
  
Unknown to Quistis, Seifer stirred in his bed. His green eyes opened and he looked down at his girlfriend and her friend. Rinoa saw him and opened her mouth to say something. Seifer shook his head a little, smirked, and winked at Rinoa. She closed her mouth and quickly shifted her attention back to Quistis.  
  
"Tell him what?" Rinoa prompted quietly.  
  
"I love him," Quistis whispered, almost inaudibly.  
  
Seifer heard her however and gently tugged on her hand. Her blonde head whipped around to him and fresh tears ran down her face. He smiled at her and gently pulled her closer. When she was very close he leaned forward the tiniest bit and kissed her gently. His hand that wasn't clutched in hers went to her chin, holding her in the kiss.  
  
After a few moments the gentle embrace ended and Quistis pulled back a bit.  
  
"I love you Seifer," she whispered again.  
  
His green eyes never wavered from her blues as he whispered back.  
  
"I love you Quistis."  
  
She started crying again and he pulled her head down to rest gently on his chest. His arms went around her tenderly, holding her.  
  
Seifer's eyes met Rinoa's where she was standing at the end of the bed, viewing the scene with tears in her own eyes. He nodded to her and she smiled as she left two alone.  
  
Out in the waiting room Squall and Zell immediately questioned her about Seifer.  
  
"He woke up and I thought it would be better for him and Quistis to have some time alone before we all come in and interrupt them."   
  
Squall nodded his approval of her reasoning and Zell grinned.  
  
"I bet they're in there making out," he said with a laugh.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes and Rinoa giggled.  
  
Just then Zell's stomach growled loudly. Rinoa laughed harder and Squall cracked a smile.  
  
Zell just looked sheepish and scratched the back of his head.   
  
"I guess I was so worried about Seifer I forgot to eat."  
  
"There's a food court downstairs," Rinoa offered helpfully.  
  
"Yeah, cool, let's go," Zell said as he got to his feet.  
  
"Should we tell Seifer and Quistis where we are going?" Squall asked.  
  
Rinoa shook her head, blushing.  
  
"Ha-ha, they ARE making out aren't they?" Zell laughed.  
  
Squall smiled good-naturedly but slugged Zell in the arm.  
  
"Leave them alone."  
  
Zell just laughed as he rubbed his arm, heading for the elevator.

AN: Don't flame me for getting Seifer in a wreck. He will get better and it was for the good of Squall and Rinoa's relationship. Plus I'm the author and I wrote it that way so...


	4. Friendship Comes First

**Friendship Comes First**  
  
The hospital room was cast in darkness as Squall Leonhart rested on the couch beside the bed. The whole group was crowded into Seifer's small room. Zell was snoring softly in the chair previously occupied by Quistis at the bedside. Quistis herself was curled up beside Seifer on the bed. Her continual worry and crying had worn her out and Seifer had easily coaxed her into lying down beside him. Rinoa was resting on the other end of the couch from Squall. Everyone but Squall had succumbed to the desire to sleep and all of them were dozing peacefully.  
  
Squall was lost in his own little world. It was a habit he had gotten into as a teenager. At school he was alright because he had his friends to keep him company. At home however, he had always kept to himself. He had loved his step-sister Ellone but since she was older than him they hadn't gotten very close. He and his step-mother had always gotten along well but Raine had always tended to favor Ellone in everything so Squall was left out. And Laguna, Squall had never gotten along with Laguna. The man was a buffoon but miraculously was a politician. The two hardly ever saw each other since Laguna was always traveling and when he was around his mere presence annoyed Squall so Squall tended to avoid his step-father. He had spent so much time dodging his family while he was a teenager he had gotten into the habit of going off on his own to think.  
  
The silence of the hospital room provided him with all the time he needed and the fact that everyone else was sleeping gave him the solitude he required.  
  
However, everyone was not asleep as Squall assumed. The girl sharing the couch with him was awake but content to let Squall wander his mind uninterrupted. She satisfied her curiosity about him and his thoughts by watching his expressionless face and formulating her own theories about the manner of thoughts populating his head.  
  
Nothing disturbed the serenity. All was calm. The only noises were the quiet breaths of the teenagers in the room and the hushed hum of the machinery. Squall sat in silent contemplation of …whatever. Rinoa sat in silent contemplation of Squall. Outside it began to rain. A quiet rumble of thunder made Squall look up from his thoughts. He noticed Rinoa staring at him and she blushed. He just tilted his head a little to the side. Relieved he wasn't getting angry she shifted her gaze to her hands held clenched in her lap.  
  
"Aren't you tired?" Squall asked quietly.  
  
Rinoa looked back up and shook her head.  
  
"I've always been able to stay up late. It doesn't bother me. I do some of my best writing in the middle of the night."  
  
The thunder rumbled louder and Rinoa shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"What's wrong? Don't like thunderstorms?"  
  
She couldn't answer, she was shaking too bad. Squall scooted down the couch to where she was sitting. He slid his shoulder between her back and the sofa and pulled her back to lean against his chest. Her trembling turned into full blown sobs which she muffled in Squall's t-shirt. His arms wrapped around her gently and he rocked back and forth slowly, attempting to soothe her.  
  
When she had calmed down enough to speak she quietly whispered, "Sorry."  
  
Squall just waved it off.  
  
"Do you want to talk?" he asked her, looking concerned. Squall was surprising himself. This was totally unlike him. He wasn't normally this open with someone he barely knew. But, somehow, he trusted this girl. He knew that she needed someone to talk to and decided that if she could be open and honest with him, the least he could do would be to extend the same courtesy to her.  
  
"My mother…" Rinoa began slowly, "She used to read me stories when I was little to help me fall asleep when it was storming. It was the only thing that could calm me down enough to sleep. I'm terrified of storms and ever since she died I haven't been able to sleep when it is storming."  
  
Squall didn't say anything in response. He just continued to rock her. Silence filled the room again.  
  
Then Squall's voice whispered near her ear.  
  
"A long time ago there was an orphanage by the sea. In this orphanage lived six kids. They lived with a kindly old couple. All the kids there were the best of friends. They lived in their lighthouse with the old couple for several years. Gradually, though, they all got adopted and were separated. After a few years they began to forget their childhood home and friends. When they grew up only one of them had any memories of their house by the sea or the people that had lived there with them," Squall's breath warmed the back of her neck as he whispered the story.  
  
"The kids were reunited when they grew up but just the one of them could remember that they had known each other. Fate had thrown them back together so that they could defeat a sorceress. Only the one child could remember that the woman they were supposed to fight was the kindly woman who had raised them in their lighthouse by the sea. The boy managed to get the others to remember and together they saved their foster mother from destruction."  
  
Squall looked down at the woman lying in his arms. Her head was nestled between his shoulder and neck and her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep. He smiled gently down at her and closed his own eyes as he leaned his head on the armrest of the sofa.  
  
When Quistis woke the next morning a nurse was entering the room to check on Seifer. The nurse smiled gently at the scene before her. Seifer had his arms wrapped around Quistis and he had pulled her as close to his chest as the bandages would allow. Zell was sitting in the chair with his feet hanging over one armrest while his head leaned on the other. However, the scene that the nurse found the cutest was the sight that was presented on the couch. Squall lay on his back stretched out on the sofa. Rinoa had somehow worked her way to the other side of Squall and was between his body and the back of the couch. Her head rested on his chest and his right arm had wound itself around her shoulders.   
  
Quistis sat up when the nurse moved to Seifer's bedside. The nurse had taken his hand to check his pulse and it gave Quistis a chance to escape. Normally, Seifer would pull her closer every time she tried to get up. Since the nurse was providing a distraction she seized her opportunity to get out of bed. She stretched up on her toes, popping her back, and noticed her friends on the couch together. She dropped back down onto her feet and gasped. The gasp woke Seifer who smirked and let out a short laugh. This awakened Zell who just started with a stunned look on his face.  
  
Squall woke before Rinoa and tried not to move too much and awaken her. He was unaware that everyone else was already awake and watching the spectacle on the sofa. Despite his efforts Rinoa woke up and peered down at him.  
  
"Thanks for last night," she murmured and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He smiled a little and nodded.  
  
"It was my pleasure."  
  
A loud gasp tore the two from their solitude and both turned their heads to face their friends. Quistis' jaw had dropped open and she looked dazed. Seifer and Zell couldn't help smirking at Squall and winking. Rinoa flushed and rolled off the couch. Squall got quickly to his feet and scowled at his friends. Quistis snapped out of her trance and darted forward to grab Rinoa's hand. The blonde looked back at Squall before dragging Rinoa into the hallway.  
  
"I'm sure this is a stupid question but what exactly happened between the two of you last night?"  
  
Rinoa blushed and ducked her head.  
  
"I had trouble sleeping and he helped me," she explained.  
  
"Helped you how?" Quistis asked slowly.  
  
Rinoa looked confused for a moment; her face cleared a minute later when she figured out the point Quistis was trying to get to.  
  
"Quistis Trepe! Nothing happened. He just told me a story to help me fall asleep."  
  
Quistis' jaw dropped open again.  
  
"What's so wrong with that?" Rinoa asked in confusion.  
  
"That is so unlike Squall. You must have some kind of effect on him," Quistis teased her friend.  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes and grinned.  
  
"He's just a nice guy."  
  
Quistis grinned and winked at her friend before returning to the hospital room.

* * *

After they left the hospital Squall gave Rinoa a ride back to their building. Squall had time for a quick shower before he had to leave and go to the garage. Even though it was Sunday he and Zell still had a lot of work to do.  
  
The first thing he saw when he walked into the garage what the wreckage of Seifer's bike. The once shiny, perfect motorcycle was now twisted, dirty and useless. Squall decided to do what he could to save the bike but he feared there was no hope for his best friend's prized motorcycle. He would have to talk to Seifer about getting another one. But he resolved to do everything possible to restore the wreckage before bringing it up.  
  
Zell had beaten Squall to the garage and was already hard at work. Squall saw his friend's red trainers poking out from under a shiny black Camaro. There was a pick-up truck on lifts next to it that was draining oil. Zell was trying to work on both vehicles at once. Squall cleared his throat as he walked over to his locker to stow his precious leather jacket. Zell poked his head out and grinned at his friend.   
  
"So, you're finally here."  
  
Squall nodded and moved to the pick-up.  
  
"You took Rinoa home this morning didn't you?" Zell asked with an innocent look on his face.  
  
Squall nodded silently and got to work.  
  
"It doesn't take that long to get to your building. What took you so long to get here?" the blonde asked his friend.  
  
"I had to take a shower," Squall answered, refusing to give Zell something to tease him about.  
  
Zell scowled when Squall ducked under the truck and continued changing its oil.   
  
"You're no fun, you know that?"  
  
"That's not what Rinoa said," Squall shot back from where he was working.   
  
Muffled cursing and a surprisingly loud crash came back in reply. It seemed Zell had forgotten that he was lying underneath a car in his shock at Squall's answer.  
  
It was Squall's turn to curse when he heard a female voice ask, "What did I say?"  
  
Squall quickly extricated himself from underneath the truck and hurried over to where his neighbor stood, waiting.  
  
"Oh, nothing Rinoa. Don't worry about it. Me and Zell were just talking," he scrambled nervously.   
  
Rinoa smirked at him and he swallowed hard but she just winked and said loudly, "Oh, you told him about this morning?"  
  
There was another muffled crash from under the Camaro. Zell was gasping for breath when his blonde spikes came out from under the car. Rinoa began laughing and Squall smirked when they saw the astonished look on his friend's face. Zell, realizing he had been fooled, stuck his tongue out at the two teenagers standing above him. Zell pulled himself back under the car and got back to work as Squall and Rinoa continued to laugh.  
  
"So, what are you doing here?" Squall asked Rinoa.  
  
"Oh, my car is leaking coolant. Can you guys fix it?"  
  
Squall nodded and pushed his hair out of his face.  
  
"What kind of car is it?"  
  
"Corvette," she answered as they walked outside.  
  
He whistled in appreciation at the gleaming black machine in front of him.  
  
"Damn, that's nice."  
  
Rinoa giggled and grinned.  
  
"Pull it in and I'll get to work," he said absently, never taking his eyes off the car. Rinoa noticed and rolled her eyes as she got in the car and started it up.  
  
"Men," she murmured to herself as she saw the look of rapture on Zell's face.

AN: Please Review. (As I wrote on my bio I apologize for the slow updates but my mom died recently and I've been having a rough time.)


	5. Plans in Motion

**Plans in Motion**

Seifer Almasy would never admit it to anyone but he was absolutely terrified of needles. Right now the injured racer was being poked in the arm, having blood drawn. His green eyes were locked unwillingly on the sight of his blood filling the vial of the syringe. When the nurse was satisfied she removed it and blotted his arm with a cotton ball. Quistis sighed gratefully as she pried Seifer's fingers off her hand.

"I was starting to lose circulation in my arm. Why'd you squeeze so hard?" Quistis questioned as she massaged feeling back into her crushed hand.

He looked nervous for a moment but quickly covered it up with his typical cocky smirk.

"Uh…I don't know…sorry," he offered, blushing slightly.

Quistis just shook her head and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's antics. When would he figure out that everyone knew of his extreme fear of needles?

"I'm going to go get something to drink really fast," she decided when she noticed the nurse preparing another syringe.

"Okay Mr. Almasy, lie down on your stomach and pull your pants down. This one has to be given through the rear," the nurse directed.

Seifer's eyes filled with dread as the nurse came towards him.

"Quistis…come back…please?" he pleaded as the door closed behind his retreating girlfriend.

* * *

Squall sighed in frustration as he sat on the floor, surrounded by pieces of Seifer's bike. He had been toiling for several hours, trying to get the pieces separated so he could see what could be repaired and what would have to be replaced. So far it appeared that Seifer would have to buy a completely new bike. Everything had been so twisted and torn by the wreck that none of it was salvageable.

"Damn," he murmured to himself, surveying the wreckage surrounding him.

Zell chose that moment to enter the back room of the garage where the bike was being kept.

"How's it look?" he asked as he helped himself to a bottle of water from the small fridge that resided in the corner of the room.

Squall shook his head, "There's nothing I can do."

Zell winced, anticipating Seifer's reaction.

"Yeah, that's what I'm expecting too."

"Well, maybe he won't freak out," Zell offered hopefully.

Squall didn't respond, just sat there on the floor, staring at Zell.

"Yeah, you're right, he's gonna freak," Zell declared, changing his mind.

Squall just nodded miserably.

"Well, maybe you can avoid telling him for awhile," Zell suggested.

Again Squall said nothing, staring at Zell incredulously.

"Oh, yeah, didn't think so," Zell changed his mind again. He fell silent, drinking his water.

"Well, maybe…" he tried again.

"Shut up Zell."

* * *

The blaring ring of her newly hooked up phone jarred Rinoa into wakefulness. She had been up very late the night before trying to edit the latest chapter of her novel.

Her hand came out from under her sheets and felt around gingerly on the nightstand until she found the receiver. She pulled it under the covers and answered.

"Hello?"

"Rin, are you just waking up?" Quistis asked her friend with an unseen grin.

"Yeah, I stayed up too late last night," the sleepy brunette replied.

"Oh yeah, doing what if I may ask?" Quistis asked jokingly.

Rinoa smirked as she answered, "Oh nothing much, Squall came over."

"WHAT?!?!?!?" Quistis' yell echoed through the phone line. Whatever else she was going to say was cut off by Rinoa's laughter.

"I was kidding Quisty, don't get so excited."

"That's not funny Rinoa, you about gave me a heart attack. It's a good thing I'm already at the hospital," the blonde declared.

Rinoa frowned at this, "Did you stay there all night again? That's not good for you. You need to sleep in a bed and you won't survive long on that nasty hospital food. Seifer will be alright without you for a few days. You need to go home and rest."

"Yeah I know. I've heard this lecture before, remember, you gave it to me yesterday," Quistis protested.

"And you aren't going to listen this time either, are you?" Rinoa questioned.

"Nope," Quistis promised.

"How about we compromise and go out to lunch?" offered Rinoa.

"Yeah that sounds good. I'll pick you up in an hour?"

"Okay," the brunette replied as she rolled out of bed.

* * *

Quistis had barely hung the phone up before she was back on the line. She quickly dialed the number for the garage and waited impatiently for one of the guys to pick up.

* * *

The loud ringing from the other room distracted Squall from his concentration on the remains of Seifer's bike. He quickly went to answer it.

"Balamb Automotive Repair Shop, this is Squall. How may I help you?"

"Hey Squall, it's Quistis. Can I talk to Zell for a minute?"

"Uh, sure, hang on a sec," Squall covered the receiver with his hand and waved across the garage at Zell.

"Zell, phone."

The hyper blonde jumped to his feet and started back flipping across the room to where Squall stood at the desk. Squall just rolled his eyes and handed the dizzy blonde the phone.

"It's Quis," Squall said as he walked back to the ruins of the motorcycle.

"Hey Quistis," Zell greeted her as he picked up the phone, "What's up?"

"Zell, I need you to get Squall to go out to lunch at that sandwich shop over on Main Street at 1 o'clock. Can you do that for me?"

The spiky haired man thought for several minutes, "Do I get to come too?" he asked plaintively.

"Sure Zell, just make sure Squall is there," Quistis replied, exasperated.

"Okay, sure thing Quisty," he promised as he hung up.

* * *

Quistis tried very hard to act surprised when Zell and Squall walked into the deli where she and Rinoa had just sat down.

"Squall, Zell, what are you two doing here?" she asked, waving at her friends.

The two mechanics walked over and greeted the women.

"Zell really wanted to come here so I agreed to come so he'd shut up," Squall explained, glancing suspiciously between the innocence radiating Zell and the surprised but smug Quistis.

"Well, we haven't ordered yet and I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to bring over some chairs if you guys wanted to join us," Rinoa suggested politely.

Squall was still looking suspiciously at Quistis but nodded. The waiter hurriedly brought over two more chairs and the new arrivals sat down. The group ordered quickly and the waiter departed.

"So what are you boys into today?" Quistis asked as they all got their drinks.

"Squall has been working on Seifer's bike all morning while I do the rest of the stuff," Zell replied after guzzling half of his soda in one gulp.

"How's it coming?" she asked, nervous.

Squall just shook his head, "There's nothing I can do. He's gonna have to get a new one."

Quistis groaned and Rinoa looked confused.

"What's wrong?" she wondered aloud.

"Seifer's had that bike since high school. He loves that thing." Squall explained.

"He's not gonna want to get another one," Quistis stated.

"If he wants to keep racing he won't have a choice," Squall interjected.

Quistis nodded and sighed.

Just then their sandwiches arrived and they all began to devour the food hungrily. After they finished their sandwiches Squall declared that he and Zell needed to return to work at the garage. Quistis insisted that she needed to speak to Zell alone before the duo left the deli. Squall offered to walk Rinoa back to their building while his friends talked.

"So what's up Quistis?" Zell asked as Squall and Rinoa walked away. "Well, I was thinking that Squall and Rinoa would be good together. So, I'm trying to give them chances to get to know each other. That's what today was about. Thanks for your help Zell."

"Sure thing Quisty. They do look cute together," the blonde said as he watched the two walk down the street away from them.

"So you'll keep helping me?" she asked.

Zell grinned and nodded.

"This should be fun."

AN: I know not a lot happened but I had to put it in so I could start Quistis' matchmaking plots.

Please Review


	6. Family Ties

**Family Ties  
**  
The loud music echoed through the room as Squall Leonhart lifted weights. He was lying flat on his back on his weight bench, lifting the heavy bar over his head. His attention was totally focused on the weight that was held over his chest. He exhaled slowly as he brought the bar down slowly to his chest and inhaled as he pushed it back up.  
  
Weightlifting was Squall's relaxation time. He saved an hour each night for his weights. It gave him something to do to avoid his family. Ellone and Raine had learned that he enjoyed his time to himself so they knew not to bother him during his nightly exercises. Laguna, however, was oblivious to his stepson's habit.  
  
The loud ringing of the phone could scarcely be heard over the rock music that filled the weight room but it was enough to drag Squall's concentration away from his lifting. He groaned as he set the bar back into the rack over his head and rolled off the bench onto his feet. The nearest phone was in the bedroom so he crossed the hall into his bedroom and answered it.  
  
"Laguna, I've told you a thousand times not to call me after eight," Squall said, not bothering to say hello.  
  
"But, son I was just calling to tell you that…" Laguna tried.  
  
Squall interrupted, "Unless it's an emergency I don't want to hear it."  
  
"But Squall, I want to talk to you," Laguna whined on the other end.  
  
"This is my time off. I have things to do," Squall stated, unmoved.  
  
"But…" Laguna started again.  
  
Just then there was a knock on Squall's door.  
  
"I've gotta go," Squall said as he hung up the phone. Growling in frustration he went to answer the door.  
  
Rinoa was standing on the other side holding a covered pot.  
  
Squall blinked in surprise and she laughed at the look on his face.  
  
"Did I come at a bad time or something?" she asked, giggling.  
  
He shook his head as he leaned on the doorframe. The cold metal on his bare arm drew his attention to the fact that he was not wearing a shirt. Clearly Rinoa had just noticed the same thing.  
  
Her brown eyes had widened appreciatively and were running over his body quickly. He unconsciously blushed and moved off the doorframe.  
  
"I'll be right back. Wait just a sec," he stuttered as he turned back into his apartment, "I'll go get a shirt and be right back."  
  
Rinoa just stood there, silently berating herself for staring. He was her neighbor and her friend, not some piece of meat. She wasn't supposed to ogle him like some teenager.  
  
It was now a month after Seifer's accident. The blonde racer had returned to his full strength and was busy looking for a new motorcycle. Quistis and Seifer had returned to Deling City a few days after Seifer was released from the hospital, leaving Squall, Rinoa and Zell in Balamb with repeated promises to visit again soon.  
  
In the weeks following their best friend's departures Squall and Rinoa had become closer. It started with them meeting in the hallway and talking. Then it got to where she would swing by the garage in the afternoons and take the guys out to lunch. Zell was frequently out with his girlfriend Sally so it ended up being just Squall and Rinoa eating together most of the time. They would end up sitting at the table for hours, just talking about things. Granted, Squall did notably less talking that Rinoa but she recognized that he was making an effort to talk as much as he did. Then it had progressed to getting together at night to see movies or going to the bookstore and getting coffee (or water, in Squall's case.)  
  
Squall returned from his bedroom, now fully clothed in a pair of low riding blue jeans and a black t-shirt.  
  
"So what's up Rin?"  
  
Lifting her dish, she replied, "I came to return the favor. You gave me your dinner the first night I moved in so I'm giving you mine tonight."  
  
Squall gave a tiny smile and shook his head, "If I remember correctly we ate dinner together that first night. So, it's only fair to share this one too."  
  
Rinoa grinned at him and nodded, "Okay."  
  
Squall moved out of the doorway and let his neighbor into his apartment. She knew her way around his kitchen by now and went immediately to get plates. He got the cups and moved to the fridge.  
  
"What do you want to drink?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.  
  
"Water's fine with me," Rinoa responded as she began dividing up the food.  
  
They finished their preparations and seated themselves at the table. They were about to start eating when there was a knock on the door. Squall rolled his eyes in frustration as he pushed his plate back and stood to answer the door.  
  
His blue eyes widened when he saw the tall, long haired man in front of him. The man was taller than Squall himself and his brown hair was a shade darker than Squall's and the man had brown eyes instead of blue but the familiarity between the two was unmistakable.  
  
The brown eyes of the man were filled with joy as they surveyed the horrified young man standing in front of him. Squall was gaping at the older man standing in front of him. His jaw fell open as he stared in disbelief at his step-father.  
  
Laguna pulled his stupefied son into a hug before Squall could stop him. Rinoa chose that moment to come out of the kitchen after Squall.  
  
"Squall, what's taking…" her voice trailed off as Laguna released Squall in favor of seizing Rinoa in a hug.  
  
"Son, is this your girlfriend?" Laguna asked as he spun Rinoa around joyfully. Squall unconsciously blushed as he shook his head.  
  
"I think you're lying," Laguna declared as he put the now dizzy Rinoa back on her feet.  
  
Squall found himself unable to speak as he stared at the old man standing in his hallway.  
  
"What are you doing here Laguna?" he asked, trying to regain some control of the situation.  
  
"Squall, you're avoiding the question and you're blushing. I'm right! She is your girlfriend," the old man crowed as he jumped up and down.  
  
Just then, Quistis and Seifer entered the apartment through the still open door.  
  
"Hey, Squall. What's up?" Quistis questioned as she gazed around the room.  
  
Laguna stopped jumping up and down and grinned widely at the new arrivals.  
  
"Squall has got a girlfriend. This is her," he said as he pulled Rinoa forward by the arm.  
  
Quistis' jaw dropped and she stared at her blushing friends in amazement. Seifer smirked and laughed as he saw the look that passed over Squall's face.  
  
Rinoa was flustered but still maintained her composure, "Sir, I don't know what gave you that impression but Squall and I are just friends."  
  
Laguna's face fell instantly as he turned to face Squall.  
  
"Awww, shoot," the old man pouted.  
  
Squall's face was slowly fading back to normal from the red hue that had covered his face while his father was embarrassing him.  
  
Rinoa broke the awkwardness by moving forward to hug Seifer and Quistis. The blonde woman held her friend into the hug longer than was normal but nobody noticed because Squall was talking with Seifer and Laguna was in the corner pouting.  
  
"What's going on?" Quistis whispered as she hugged Rinoa.  
  
Rinoa shrugged, "I don't know who the old man is but he thinks me and Squall are dating. We were just eating dinner when he knocked on the door."  
  
"That's Laguna, Squall's step-father," Quistis responded in a whisper.  
  
"Ohhh, okay that explains why Squall had that look on his face when he saw him."  
  
Quistis laughed, "So, what were you doing over here anyway? I was going to leave Seifer here and go next door and get you."  
  
"Oh, me and Squall were just eating dinner," Rinoa stated.  
  
"Together?" Quistis questioned, confused.  
  
"He shared his dinner with me the first night I moved in so I was returning the favor and sharing mine tonight," Rinoa explained.  
  
Quistis smiled to herself. It sounded exactly like something Rinoa would do. The fact that Squall had shared his dinner in the first place was a little odd but, who knew, maybe Rinoa was having a bigger effect on him than he would admit.  
  
The two girls separated and Seifer greeted Rinoa as Squall hugged Quistis. Laguna was still pouting in the corner, staring forlornly at his foster son and friends greeting each other.  
  
Why wasn't Squall ever so excited to see him? Not to say that Squall was visibly excited but the old man could see that the young man was happy to see his friends.  
  
After the group had separated they migrated to the kitchen. Laguna was left in the hallway, staring mournfully after his step son.  
  
As they went into the kitchen Rinoa looked back over her shoulder at the long haired old man who was still standing in the hallway, staring at Squall sadly. She felt bad for the old man. As the others seated themselves, Rinoa mustered her courage and cleared her throat.  
  
"Squall, could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked quickly. Squall looked confused but nodded. He gestured down the hall towards his bedroom and the two headed down the hall. Seifer and Quistis glanced at each other and smiled as their friends exited the kitchen.  
  
"So, what's up?" Squall asked as they stopped in the hallway outside of his bedroom.  
  
"Squall," Rinoa began, trying to word her question so that her friend wouldn't get mad at her, "Why don't you invite your step-father to eat with us? We have enough."  
  
Squall sighed and rolled his eyes, "Then he might think that I like having his around."  
  
"But Squall, he cares about you and he just wants to visit you. Can't you let him stay? Just for a little while?"  
  
Squall thought about it, trying to avoid looking at Rinoa. One look into those brown eyes and he would cave. She seemed to know this and moved closer to him. He glanced up at her and crumbled.  
  
"Fine, he can stay and eat but after we are finished, he's leaving," he sighed. Rinoa grinned and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and quickly stepped back.  
  
"You owe me, big," he said as he turned to walk back down the hallway.  
  
Rinoa's grin couldn't have been wider as she followed him.  
  
The pair reentered the kitchen and Squall moved back into the hallway by the front door.  
  
"Laguna, we were just sitting down to eat supper if you want to join us?" Squall said expressionlessly and moved back into the kitchen before the old man could get over his shock and reply.  
  
He seated himself and stared sullenly at his plate as Laguna came into the kitchen and happily sat down at the only open chair, across the table from Squall. Since Rinoa had asked Squall to invite Laguna she had decided that she would save him from having to sit next to his hyper step-father and had moved her plate so that she was sitting beside him. Quistis and Seifer were at the cabinets getting plates and cups for themselves and Laguna.  
  
Seifer served Quistis her food and got his own before handing the serving spoon to Laguna. The old man nervously served his food, anxious not to do anything to upset Squall. His hands were shaking so badly, however, that he spilled the food he was trying to spoon onto his plate.  
  
Squall's blue eyes flashed and he started to rise to his feet. Rinoa shot to her feet beside him and grabbed his arm quickly. He looked down at her and she gave him a pleading look as she held his arm. He sighed and nodded slightly and she relaxed and sat back down. Squall moved across the kitchen to the sink to get a paper towel to clean up the mess.  
  
Quistis and Seifer watched the whole exchange, waiting to see what Squall would do. They both knew that Squall could hardly bear Laguna's presence. They expected him to throw the old man out of the house. Any excuse would do for Squall, as long as his step-father left. Rinoa's intervention surprised to two blondes. No one could convince Squall to let Laguna stay.  
  
Could she?  
  
Had their friends gotten that close in their absence? Was it possible that Squall had let someone get that close again?  
  
Of course if you looked at all the out of character things Squall had done in the time since Rinoa had moved in you would have to come to the conclusion that she was having an effect on him.  
  
He hadn't let anyone get close enough to do that in a long time. Other than Quistis, Seifer, and Zell Squall was a very closed off person.  
  
Letting Rinoa into his life would only do him good.  
  
Quistis watched, stunned, as Squall came back to the table with the paper towel and handed it to Laguna without a word, before seating himself again.  
  
Rinoa was affecting him more than she would have expected.  
  
Quistis smiled as she saw Rinoa squeeze Squall's hand as the reluctant brunette seated himself beside her.  
  
This was working better than she had planned.  
  
AN: I apologize AGAIN for the long wait in posting (if anyone is still reading this). My grandfather and one of my aunts died last week and my family is having a really hard time. I hope to have the next chapter of Ballroom Dancing (Read it please!) posted by thursday (10/28) and the next chapter of Second Chances posted next tuesday (11/2). At least, that is the plan. I'm leaving my weekend free so that I can work on those chapters so I can post them. I feel really bad for leaving you guy waiting for so long. 


	7. Change of Pace

**Change of Pace**

Rinoa Heartily sighed as she stared at her computer screen. She was bored. She had promised herself a dozen times that she was going to devote the whole day to editing the newest chapter of her book. It was only eight in the morning and she was already bored.

She heard Quistis stirring in the living room and got out of her chair hurriedly, anxious for a distraction. Her blonde friend was sitting on the couch, blankets pushed down to the other end. Her hair was messy and she was blinking blearily. Rinoa smiled and giggled as she entered the living room.

"Morning Quistis; sleep well?"

Quistis nodded as she retrieved her glasses from the coffee table. The brunette laughed quietly as she moved into the kitchen to start coffee.

"I'm going to jump in the shower Rin. I'll be there in a few minutes," Quistis called.

"Okay," Rinoa answered. She had filled the machine with beans and was putting the coffee pot back into its place when there was a knock at the door. She opened the door and smiled as she saw Squall and Seifer on the other side.

After Laguna had left the night before the group had watched a movie before Rinoa and Quistis went back to Rinoa's apartment to have some 'girl time' and the boys stayed at Squall's place and played video games.

Rinoa moved out of the doorway and the guys came into the apartment. Squall raised a bag of bagels in greeting as Seifer moved to the cabinet and got plates and cups out.

"Where's Quis?" Seifer asked as he laid the plates on the table.

"Oh, she's in the shower," Rinoa replied unthinkingly. An evil smirk leapt to Seifer's face and he tore through the apartment toward the bathroom before the surprised girl could do anything to stop him.

Squall sighed and covered his ears. Rinoa was confused but did the same. A moment later a loud scream ripped through the residence. They cautiously took their hands down and resumed setting out breakfast as the cry died down. The pair in the kitchen groaned as they heard feet stomping through the back hallway. Seifer bolted into the kitchen, followed closely by a towel-clad Quistis. Seifer vaulted over the table, trying to keep it between his annoyed girlfriend and himself. Rinoa and Squall grinned at their friend's antics and moved off to the side to watch the proceedings.

Quistis' hair was wet and bedraggled and soap was still running off her legs. Holding the towel with one hand, she reached for the dodging Seifer with the other. Her boyfriend was continually moving and ducking, laughing the whole time.

He grabbed an opening and bolted into the living room, spanking Quistis on the butt as he ran past her. She squealed in indignation before giving chase. Squall cautiously poked his head into the living room, decided against doing anything, and came back into the kitchen.

Rinoa was giggling and smiling as she resumed setting out the plates. Squall found a large bowl and dumped the bagels into it. The bowl went on the table and the two brunettes fixed their drinks and sat down to eat breakfast. They could still hear Seifer and Quistis from where they were sitting in the kitchen.

Squall selected his favorite bagel from the pile, pulling out one for Rinoa too and handing it to her. They began to eat, serenaded by their friend's playful fighting in the background.

Rinoa kept glancing back at the living room as she ate until finally Squall said, "I wouldn't worry about them. It's when they get quiet that you need to be afraid."

As he finished speaking, the noise in the other room abruptly stopped. Rinoa's brown eyes met Squall's blues. He shrugged and stood up. She followed and they both poked their heads into the living room. They were surprised to see that their friends weren't in the room. Suddenly, Seifer and a fully dressed Quistis popped up from behind the couch and began to launch pillows at their unsuspecting friends.

Squall caught the one thrown at him and slung it back in retaliation before ducking back into the kitchen. Rinoa was hit in the face by a pillow thrown by Quistis. She grabbed it up off the floor before running for cover in the kitchen. Squall was at the table, scooping bagels out of the bowl. Rinoa gave him a weird look and he gave her a small smile.

"They haven't eaten yet," he explained reasonably. She rolled her eyes and they went back to the doorway between their base and the fortress their friends had set up in the living room. Squall launched his bagel grenades, earning him cries of surprise from the two hidden blondes. Rinoa kept her pillow in reserve, waiting for a target to present itself. Seifer slowly poked his head up over the edge of the couch, thinking that the brunettes had run out of ammo. Rinoa leapt forward, swinging the pillow as hard as she could. Squall was right behind her, diving over the top of the couch and tackling the surprised Seifer. The two boys began mock wrestling, rolling around on the floor trying to pin each other.

The girls began to swing their pillows at each other but stopped in mid-swing. Grinning at the wrestling boys, they sat on the couch to watch the match.

Seifer managed to pin Squall for a minute and turned his head to wink at Quistis. While he was distracted Squall squirmed out of the hold and rolled Seifer onto his back and pin him. Squall, however, did not make Seifer's mistake. The girls began to cheer and clap and Squall let Seifer up.

Squall picked up the bagels he had thrown and carried them back into the kitchen. Rinoa and Quistis picked up the pillows and put them back on the couch. Seifer went back into the bathroom and cleaned up the mess that had been made when he had scared Quistis in the shower.

The group reconvened in the kitchen and hungrily ate their bagels. They had just finished eating when there was a knock on the door. Zell and his girlfriend Sally stood on the other side.

"Good morning you guys," Zell greeted everyone as Rinoa let them in. The rest waved and said hello. Sally was very shy and stuck close to Zell as he moved to the table and sat down. He pulled the librarian into his lap to keep her close. Quistis and Rinoa watched the cute interaction and exchanged smiles. Seifer rolled his eyes at the girls and Quistis hit him over the head gently. Seifer grinned and pulled his girlfriend down into his lap. He smothered her protest with his lips and the rest of the group grinned widely.

Anyone who had known Seifer and Quistis, even for a short time, knew that the couple was not afraid of public displays of affection, at least around friends.

Squall handed several bagels to Zell and gave one to Sally. The new arrivals ate and the group sat at the table talking.

The guys decided they should go do some work at the garage. Quistis and Sally weren't pleased that their guys were working on a Saturday but they eventually agreed. The attached males said goodbye, quickly pressing kisses on their girlfriend's lips to avoid the tongue-lashing they knew they would get if their girls' lips were not being used for other pursuits than talking.

Squall and Rinoa were standing off to the side, watching the exchanges with small grins on their faces.

Zell and Seifer went out the door, waving for Squall to follow. The brunette turned to Rinoa, waving the guys off.

"Thanks for letting us come over Rin," Squall said quietly, looking down at her. She smiled and nodded. The guys outside were making hurrying motions to Squall, who waved them off again.

"We really appreciate it."

She smiled again, "It's no problem."

"Come on Squall," Seifer groaned, eyeing Quistis' angry face nervously.

Squall sighed in frustration and unthinkingly, leaned down and pressed a kiss to Rinoa's lips before turning and walking out.

Quistis' jaw dropped and Rinoa's hand shot to her mouth where his lips had touched hers. Rinoa's mouth moved but no sound came out.

The second the door closed behind Squall, Quistis was at her friend's side.

"What is going on between you two?" she asked the shell-shocked Rinoa.

Rinoa shook her head slowly, still staring at the door, "Nothing that I know of."

Quistis shook Rinoa gently, trying to snap her friend out of her stupor.

"Honey, look at me," she paused, waiting for Rinoa to turn towards her, "If nothing is going on why did he kiss you?"

Rinoa shrugged helplessly, "I don't know. I didn't know he felt anything for me besides friendship."

Quistis frowned, "Do you feel anything for him?"

Rinoa hesitated, thinking. "I don't know. I think I could but I don't know if I do," she groaned.

Quistis quickly hugged her friend. "Shh, honey we'll get this worked out. It'll be okay."

Sally was still standing beside the kitchen table. She was watching the proceedings with a thoughtful frown on her face. She shyly cleared her throat, wanting to help but not knowing what to do.

"Maybe Squall did it without thinking about it. Or maybe he was trying to thank you for letting us all come over," she suggested quietly.

Quistis shrugged, "I think the only way we'll know for sure is to ask him."

* * *

Zell and Seifer saw their friend kiss his neighbor and exchanged surprised looks. What was up with Squall? He wouldn't kiss a girl he didn't at least like. They were doubly surprised to watch him turn and walk out without a word about it. What was going on? 

They were so surprised they just watched as he walked past them and started off down the hallway.

"Squall," Seifer called, "Wait a sec."

"What's up?" Squall asked, "You were the ones that wanted to hurry up and leave. What are we waiting on now?" Seifer and Zell exchanged confused glances.

"Squall, what just happened in there?" Zell asked slowly. His friend frowned in thought for a minute then began to list things out loud.

"You guys said goodbye. Ya'll were hurrying me up. I thanked Rin for letting us come over…" The realization dawned in his eyes and his voice trailed off.

"Oh shit. Please tell me I didn't do what I think I did," he pleaded with his friends. Seifer sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm afraid you did," Zell announced. Squall groaned and banged his head against the wall of the hallway.

"I'm such an idiot."

"Was it really such a bad thing?" Seifer asked.

Squall's head turned to his friend quickly, blue eyes flashing. "Of course it's a bad thing. She's my friend. You're not supposed to kiss your friends."

Seifer rolled his eyes, "You do remember how me and Quis got together, don't you?"

"Seifer that only worked because Quistis liked you too. She told me and Zell that she liked you months before you kissed her," Squall objected.

Zell heard what his friend wasn't saying and called him on it.

"Squall, do you like Rinoa?" he asked with an uncharacteristic shrewdness. His quiet, reserved friend looked uncomfortable but nodded slowly.

"We've spent so much time together since she moved in and I feel like she relates to me better than anyone I've ever known; with the possible exception of Quistis."

Seifer grinned and slapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Congratulations man. Go for it," he encouraged Squall.

Squall just shook his head, "You're crazy. I can't do anything about it. She doesn't like me like that, we're just friends."

Seifer tried to object but Squall cut him off, "Let's just go to work."

"You might just be surprised," Zell whispered to himself, thinking of Quistis' plan, before following his friends.

* * *

The men were tired as they stumbled up the stairs onto Squall's floor. They trooped slowly down the hall to Rinoa's door. Seifer knocked, Squall was hiding behind him. Quistis answered the door and let them into the apartment. Squall carefully kept his eyes away from Rinoa, who was leaning on the counter beside the sink. Quistis was watching his face curiously, waiting to see what would happen. 

Zell moved straight to Sally and hugged her before sitting down at the table beside her and shooting Squall a look. Seifer kissed Quistis for a long moment before moving to the table and sitting down, pulling her into his lap. They were all staring at Squall, standing just inside the doorway, and Rinoa, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Um," Rinoa began to speak slowly. "Let's go watch a movie or something," she finished quickly, changing what she was going to say at the last second.

Quistis sighed quietly and stood up, nodding. She met Rinoa's conflicted gaze and, feeling a wave of sympathy wash over her, moved to her friend's side, hugging her.

Squall and Seifer exchanged glances and moved into the living room, following Zell and Sally's lead gratefully.

Quistis and Rinoa were left alone in the kitchen after a few seconds.

"You need to talk to him," Quistis advised her friend. Rinoa nodded and hugged Quistis.

"I will, tonight."

* * *

The living room of Rinoa's apartment was bathed in darkness, lit only by the gentle glow of the muted television. Around the room bodies were lying on couches, dead to the world. 

Zell was lying on his back on the couch, snoring softy. Sally's head was lying on his chest, her body pinned between Zell and the back of the couch.

Seifer was leaning on the base of the couch, his feet stretched out in front of him. Quistis was lying between his legs, her head resting on his abdomen. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close to him.

Squall was stretched out on the loveseat, his legs hanging over the side. Rinoa was on the opposite side of the room, curled up in an overstuffed armchair.

At the moment she was the only one in the room that was conscious. Her brown eyes were glued to the sleeping man on the opposite couch. She studied his face, wondering what factors in his life had made him into the man he was.

She knew he was an orphan, Quistis had told her that. Squall had told her about his foster family, Laguna, Ellone, and Raine. She knew that he had never really gotten along with them and that he had been on his own since he was seventeen. She stared at the scar that ran diagonally between his eyes, wondering curiously how he had gotten it. Her eyes traveled to the mirrored copy of the scar that branded Seifer's face.

She moved her eyes back to Squall and was surprised to see that his blue eyes were now open, staring at her.

"Where did you get your scar?" she asked quietly. His hand automatically reached up to run down the thin line.

"Seifer has one too and I was just curious," she explained.

"We gave them to each other," he said quietly. "We were fighting and it was an accident."

"How old were you two?" she asked.

"Seven," he answered.

"Your parents weren't around?" she asked without thinking. Squall just shook his head, a hint of a smile on his face.

"That was before I got adopted. I was at the orphanage. Me and Seifer have been friends since we were really little."

"Do you remember your parents at all?" she asked quietly.

"A little bit I think. I remember a lighthouse and an older man in a red sweater and a tall lady with the longest black hair I've ever seen," his voice was low in the darkness that surrounded them.

"Do you miss them?"

"It's hard to miss someone that you can hardly remember," he responded.

The loneliness in his voice triggered something inside her and she got up from her chair. She crossed the room to where he was lying on the couch and sat on the edge next to him as he sat up. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"When I was really little, my mom died. She had cancer for a long time so it wasn't really a surprise that she died. After she died though, my dad became a different person. He didn't like to be around me because I reminded him of what he had lost. When I was seventeen, I left. I moved out of the house and got a job at the newspaper in Deling. He's tried to get me to come back but until he grieves properly I know nothing will change."

As she spoke, the resurfacing memories caused a wave of sadness to run through her. Tears began to drop from her eyes. Squall's hand came up and cupped her cheek and his thumb gently wiped her tears away.

He turned her face up and gently kissed each of her cheeks. She blinked in surprise and looked into his eyes.

"Squall why did you kiss me this morning?" she whispered. He sighed deeply and held her chin gently with his hand.

"This is kind of sudden for you and all, and I'm sorry about kissing you without telling you this first, but I really, really like you," he said slowly, breathing deeply, staring into her brown eyes.

"Like me, like me?" she asked to clarify.

He just nodded, not looking away from her. She hugged him quickly and his arms wrapped around her. He felt her still wet tears soak through his shirt and he began to rock her gently.

"So, what happens now?" he asked cautiously, trying to understand. She pulled back a little and looked into his eyes.

"We can take it slow. I like you too and I want to see what can become of it."

He nodded in agreement and she smiled. Suddenly, he yawned and she looked at her watch.

"Oh, man. It's 2 in the morning." She moved to get off the couch and was momentarily surprised to feel Squall's hand grasp her wrist before she could stand. He lay back down and opened his arms to her.

"Is this moving too fast?" he asked, the nervousness obvious in his voice. She just smiled gently and climbed over him to lie down beside him on the couch. He pulled the blanket over them and she snuggled herself down deeper into his arms.

The next morning Rinoa woke slowly, trying to orient herself. She lay still for a moment, thinking. Her conversation with Squall rose to the top of her mind and she remembered where she had fallen asleep. She lifted her head slowly and smiled as she met Squall's blue eyes.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend before Squall?" Rinoa asked spontaneously. Squall's face flushed and the small smile he had had dropped off his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring up bad memories or anything. I was just curious," she apologized.

"No, it's okay. If we're gonna make this work we have to be honest, right?" he asked. She nodded slowly and he sighed in preparation.

"There was this girl named Selphie," he said slowly. "We were really close and I thought that I loved her but it turned out that she was cheating on me and had been the whole time we were dating. Seifer and Quistis were the ones that found out what had been going on."

"Oh, Squall. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such bad memories. I'm sorry," she said as she pressed her head back on his chest.

Just then Quistis poked her head into the living room from the kitchen.

"Wake up sleepy heads. We're making pancakes. They'll be ready soon," she said cheerfully. Squall and Rinoa smiled at each other and rolled their eyes. They got up and went into the kitchen, greeting everyone else.

Seifer was flipping the pancakes and Zell was pouring drinks for everyone. Sally was putting out silverware and Quistis was waiting just inside the doorway to hug Rinoa. Squall groaned jokingly and went to see what he could help with. Sally put him to work getting the syrup and fruit out of the fridge.

"How did it go?" Quistis asked Rinoa quietly, hugging her friend tightly.

"It was pretty good last night. I kind of put my foot in it this morning though," she said back.

"What happened?" Quistis asked, pulling back a little to look Rinoa in the face.

"I asked if he had ever had a girlfriend before."

"Oops," Quistis whispered. "And he actually told you?"

Rinoa nodded and Quistis looked surprised.

"Wow, that's surprising. He doesn't like to talk about her. He must really like you," Quistis finished teasingly, elbowing her friend gently.

"Well, I hope so," Rinoa said back, grinning widely.

"Breakfast is served," Seifer called from the table, laying the plate down in the center of it with a flourish.

The girls laughed at his antics before seating themselves, Quistis next to Seifer and Rinoa next to Squall.

AN: Okay the ending is kind of lame but I really couldn't think of anything else to end on without having to write whole lot more to conclude the conclusion. I think the next chapter will have more Laguna/ Squall interaction but I don't know for sure because I haven't written it yet. I am going to one of my best friend's wedding this weekend so I don't think I'll have time to write the new chapter of SC but I'm going to try. I'm kind of dissapointed that the last chapter I posted for SC has gotten so few reviews. Review it right after you finish reviewing this one. Okay? Please? Pretty please?


	8. Questions and Answers

**Questions and Answers**

The hilltop was silent and deserted as the wind swept over it. The woman standing at the bottom shivered in response and was pulled into a hug by the man standing beside her. With a heavy sigh, Rinoa began her walk up towards the gravestone that rested at the top of the hill. Close behind her came Squall. He didn't want to interfere with her memories but wanted to stay close if she needed him.

'Julia Heartily-Caraway

Loving wife and mother

July 29, 2452 – May 22, 2500'

The gravestone was simple, just the inscription and a carved rendition of music notes adorned the white marble. Rinoa found tears welling up in her eyes as she looked down at the stone. It had been too long since she had visited.

The grave was in Deling City and since she had moved to Balamb she hadn't found time to make the trip to see her mother's grave. When she had lived in Deling she had gone every other week or so to change the flowers and make sure the stone stayed clean. On the anniversary of her mother's death she found a trip back to the grave was worth the journey.

Squall was trying to be helpful, knowing how much this day meant to Rinoa. He had never known his real mother but he knew that if he had, he would want to spend as much time as he could with her. Rinoa's time with her mother had been cut short. He could understand her feelings.

He had offered to go with her to the grave, unsure of what to do to help her but wanting to be a comfort to her. He was still nervous about their new relationship but he was determined to make it work. If it involved standing with her at her mother's grave he would do it.

As the couple stood on the hill gazing at the marker, Squall noticed an older man wearing an army uniform making his way up the hill behind them. Two more uniformed men remained at the base of the hill, apparently waiting on the man to come back down.

Noticing Squall's stare, Rinoa turned around to see what was behind them.

"Shit," she whispered, glaring at the older man that was walking towards them. Squall heard her curse and stepped closer to her side. Her fingers wove their way through his, holding on tightly to his hand.

The uniformed man stopped in front of the couple, inclining his head slightly at Rinoa while pointedly ignoring Squall.

"Caraway," Rinoa said in acknowledgement, her face emotionless. Squall was watching the exchange wordlessly, keeping a cautious eye on Rinoa. He didn't know who this old man was but he could see that Rinoa didn't like him much.

Pulling Squall around with her, the distressed brunette turned away from the newcomer to face the gravestone again. The old man immediately put his hand on Rinoa's shoulder, jerking her back around to face him.

"Never turn away from me," the old soldier ordered, his voice low and demanding. Squall instantly grabbed the man's wrist, forcing his hand off Rinoa's shoulder.

"You don't touch her," Squall commanded, moving in front of his girlfriend.

"And who are you to stop me?" his opponent asked angrily.

Rinoa's hands went to Squall's shoulders, stopping him from replying. Her hand went into his again as she moved to stand at his side. Squall remained tense, watching the old man cautiously.

"He's my boyfriend," Rinoa declared in answer to the question. The man's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Rinoa…what…when…?" Stuttering was new to this confident man Squall could see. Gathering his composure, the soldier stepped closer to the angry young woman. "Rinoa, I forbid you to date this boy. I don't even know him."

"You haven't known any of the guys I've dated in the last two years, dad," Rinoa retorted sarcastically. Turning away, she stomped off down the hill. Squall was staring fearfully at Rinoa's father, surprised. Whipping around suddenly, Rinoa came back up the hill, snatched Squall's wrist and pulled him along behind her.

"His name is Squall," she shouted as she walked quickly down the hill, not looking back. With a huff, Caraway marched down the other side, away from his daughter.

* * *

A quiet hotel bar proved to be their destination. The visibly upset Rinoa was still able to lead the way, cutting through alleys and navigating the bus system like a professional. 

The doorman looked momentarily surprised to see the dark haired teenager but was quick to open the door for her. The receptionist waved and greeted the girl, obviously familiar with who she was. There were no objections as Rinoa led Squall down the stairs into the darkened bar that resided below the lobby.

After seating themselves in a booth, Squall waved off the waiter, waiting for Rinoa to respond to what had happened on the hillside. A moment after the couple sat down a short blonde woman walked onto the stage and seated herself at the piano. A familiar melody began to play and tears welled up in Rinoa's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Squall wondered aloud, holding her hand under the table.

Rinoa sniffled before she answered, "This song. My mother wrote it."

Squall nodded in understanding. "I remember it came on the radio a lot. Was that her singing it?"

Rinoa nodded and several tears leaked from her brown eyes. Squall's fingers gently wiped them away.

"They play it here on the day she died in memory of her. She used to play here every night up until she got too sick to perform," Rinoa explained in a quiet voice, "I've been coming in here since I was eight years old to hear her play."

"So that's why every one who works here knows you," Squall said with a gentle smile. She nodded again and smiled a little.

"They are always trying to get me to sing whenever they play one of my mom's songs," she told him, smiling up at him.

"Will you sing for me sometime?" he asked quietly. She looked at him in surprise and he blushed. "Um…that is…only if you want to…" he added quickly, embarrassed. She kissed him gently on the cheek and leaned her head against his shoulder, nodding.

He leaned back against the seat and she moved with him, her head lying on his chest as she listened to the music surround them. His arms moved around her waist, settling her into his embrace.

* * *

The train was almost empty as Squall and Rinoa boarded the last train of the night back to Balamb. They took their seats and waited for the locomotive to start moving. They pulled out of the station on time and began the trip back to the island they both called home. 

"Was that guy in the uniform really your dad?" Squall asked suddenly, trying to get to know his girlfriend a little better.

Rinoa sighed and nodded. "Yeah, General Caraway is my father. Unfortunately."

Squall rolled his eyes, "It couldn't be that bad. At least your father isn't an idiot like my step-father."

"Aww, Squall. Your step-father is a nice man. Not like Caraway the dictator," Rinoa objected.

"What's so bad about him?" Squall asked.

"When I was growing up he was never there. He was always gone to diplomatic functions or something that 'young girls wouldn't understand.' And then when my mother died he comes back into my life and expects me to know what he's thinking and what he wants and act how he expects me to act. I just couldn't take it anymore and I left."

"That's not so bad. If he's such a jerk maybe it was better that he wasn't around. I'm glad Laguna stayed away. If he'd been around the house more than he was I would've gone insane," Squall declared solemnly. Rinoa's face looked doubtful, unsure if he was serious or not.

"And what about all these other guys you mentioned?" he asked teasingly, changing the subject. She looked confused and he clarified, "Those other guys you said you dated since you we're seventeen."

Her face was instantly blushing in embarrassment. "I didn't mean it. I just said it to get under his skin."

"How many guys have you dated?" he asked, hoping he wasn't crossing an unknown line or something.

"Counting you, three," she said after a moment, looking up at him uncertainly.

Squall nudged her with his shoulder, "Rinoa, I was teasing. I didn't mean anything by it." She smiled up at him, laughing.

"Oh no Squall, you don't get off that easy. Now I get to ask you a question," she said, not wanting to ask about past girlfriends and bring up his ex again.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked, wanting to stay in a safe topic.

"Green," he replied immediately, looking confused. Shrugging it off he asked, "What about you? What's your favorite color?"

Before she could answer, however, he hit himself on the forehead.

"That was a dumb question," he said with a smile. "Ever since I've met you, all you wear is blue."

"Nuh-uh," she objected automatically, without thinking. As his smiled widened she thought back over the time they had known each other. "Oh my goodness, you're right."

They both started laughing, causing the others in the car to wonder what was going on that was so funny.

AN: Sorry about the long wait and the shortness of the chapter. I was having really bad writer's block and this is the only thing I could think to write about. There will be more Caraway/Rinoa/Squall interactions in future chapters. Please review. Thanks!


	9. Secrets, Secrets, Are No Fun For Squall

**Secrets, Secrets, Are No Fun…For Squall**

Soft music played in Rinoa's apartment, accompanying the clicking of the keyboard as she typed quickly, caught up in what she was writing. Behind her, Squall was stretched out on the couch, reading quietly. With a satisfied smile, Rinoa saved the document and closed out of the program.

"You done already?" Squall asked in surprise as she turned around in her chair and stretched.

"I've been writing for…four hours," she said as she checked her watch.

He checked his quickly, surprised he had actually been reading for four hours without stopping.

"Wow, that book is really good," he stated, pointing at the half-read book he had placed on the coffee table.

"Oh yeah, what is it?" she asked, looking down at the cover.

"Um, it's called Final Fantasy."

"What's it about?" she asked, a small smile on her face.

"I haven't finished it yet but, the part I read is about this group of people who call themselves 'Avalanche' are revolting against this huge company named Midgar that controls the world. They are trying to stop the company from destroying the world. This guy named Cloud is trying to keep some dude named Sephiroth from summoning something that would destroy the world. That's as far as I've gotten."

"So you like it?" Rinoa asked curiously. Squall nodded and she smiled.

"She's an amazing author," he continued. "She's very good at expressing the character's feelings and getting the reader involved in the plot."

Rinoa's smiled widened and she blushed a little bit. Squall gave her an odd look and looked confused.

"What's got you so happy?" he asked. She stood up from her chair and moved to sit on the couch next to him. His fingers twined with hers and she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Nothing much. I'm just glad I got that chapter finished. Now I can send it to my editor and I'm that much closer to getting the book published."

"Oh yeah, well I guess that would make you happy," he agreed. Just then Rinoa's cell phone began to ring. She answered it and smiled as she heard Quistis' voice. She listened for a moment and turned to Squall.

"Hey, are you up for meeting Seifer and Quistis and Zell and Sally for a movie?" she asked.

He thought for a moment and nodded quickly. She answered Quistis and got the time and place of the movie before hanging up.

"Just give me a second to get a jacket and we can go," Rinoa said as they stood up. "Do you need anything from your apartment before we go?" she asked as the moved into her bedroom, looking for her favorite blue jacket.

"Nah, I've got everything I need," Squall replied as he lifted her jacket off the back of a chair in the kitchen. A moment later she walked into the kitchen and smiled as she saw Squall holding the jacket. He held it open for her and helped her put it on. She grabbed her keys and they left the apartment.

They were only on the second floor so the trip down to the street didn't take long. Rinoa clicked a button on her car remote and her black Corvette's lights flashed. Walking over to the driver side of the car, Squall opened the door to let Rinoa in and was surprised when she handed him the keys.

"All that staring at a computer screen has got my eyes tired. You wouldn't mind driving us there would you?" she asked. Squall needed no further invitation. A rare smile crossed his face and he pecked her on the cheek.

"Thanks" he said, moving quickly to the other side of the car to open her door for her. She smiled up at him as she sat in the car. As quick as she could turn around he was on the driver's side.

A quick roar of the engine and they were on their way. The trip didn't take long and soon enough they were at the theatre. The boys all bought tickets for their girlfriends and the group trooped inside.

Zell, Seifer, and Rinoa decided to go to bathroom before the movie started, leaving Squall, Quistis, and Sally in the lobby.

"So what have you two been doing all morning?" Quistis asked Squall, a mischievous grin on her face.

Squall blushed but shook his head, "Nothing much. Rin's been writing all morning and I was reading a book."

"What book?" Quistis asked, a little surprised. Squall wasn't normally much of a reader.

"Oh, it's called Final Fantasy. It's really good."

"Did Rinoa give it to you?" Quistis asked, smirking.

Squall just shook his head. "I found it on the shelf in her apartment and just picked it up," he explained.

"Oh really, that's funny," she said with a small laugh. Squall was about to question her but just then Zell, Seifer, and Rinoa exited the bathrooms and the group headed into their movie.

* * *

When the show was over the group headed out to a nearby restaurant to get something to eat for lunch. They quickly got a table and ordered their food. Then they all trooped to the bathrooms to wash their hands before their meal arrived. Squall and Rinoa were the first ones to arrive back at the table.

As they sat down again, Squall brought up the subject of the book again. "Rinoa, why would Quistis think it's funny that I'm reading that book of yours?" he asked, looking at her in confusion.

Her eyes widened a little and she looked at him in surprise. "Who…," she began to ask as the others returned from the bathroom. Her eyes went to Quistis. The blonde just smirked and Rinoa sighed. She should have known Quistis would have some fun with this.

"Never mind Squall. Just ignore her," Rinoa replied, shooting her friend a pointed look. Quistis just smiled as she sat down.

"What were ya'll talking about?" Quistis asked with a playful smile, ignoring the looks Rinoa was sending her. Squall just looked confused, seeing the exchange between his friend and his girlfriend.

"Nothing," Rinoa stated loudly, drawing looks from other patrons of the restaurant. Seifer, Zell, and Sally all took their seats, glancing oddly at Rinoa and Quistis. The waiter cautiously approached the table, not wanting to interrupt. The nervous youth carefully served the food, anxious to get away from the glaring brunette and the cheekily grinning blonde. They were freaking him out.

Seifer was looking curiously at Quistis. "What's got you so happy?" he asked. Still smirking, she leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

"Are you serious?" he asked, grinning. "He is? Really?" She nodded and Seifer looked over at Squall with a laugh.

Squall frowned at his best friend. "Why do I get the feeling that everyone knows something that I don't?" he asked.

Sighing, Rinoa glared at the grinning Seifer and Quistis before taking Squall's hand. "They think it's funny that…well…that book you were reading…well," she paused, looking into his eyes.

"She wrote it," Seifer interjected helpfully.

Rinoa shot him a glare as Squall's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "What?" he asked, turning Rinoa's face back to look at him. "Is he serious? You wrote that book?"

She nodded with a blush on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me? Did you not want me to know or something?" he asked, looking down at the table. Rinoa, realizing her mistake, put her hand under his chin, pulling his face up to look at her.

"No," she insisted vehemently. "I was nervous about it. I didn't want you to know that I wrote it because…well, I guess I was afraid you would think I was weird for writing it or something."

"But I told you I liked it this morning," Squall objected.

"I'm just shy about my writing. It's kind of a weird story and I didn't want any of my friends to think I was weird for writing something like that. Even Quistis only read it after it got published. No one read it before it was published. I was too scared that no one would like it," she explained.

"Well I love it," he assured her, his hand moving to her cheek. She blushed again and he grinned at her. Seifer and Quistis were both smirking at the couple from their seats across the table. Sally gave Rinoa and Squall an encouraging smile before turning to look at Zell.

The hyper blonde was eating hungrily. Sally elbowed him gently in the side causing him to look up from devouring his sandwich.

"Huh?" he asked, looking at his friends, all of whom were grinning widely at him. "Did I miss something?" he asked, oblivious.

The confused Zell could only shrug helplessly to Sally as the group began to laugh.

AN:Sorry this is so short. I was trying to make it funny but didnt want to drag it out. I just started my new semester of college and am very pleased with the amount of free time I have. I hope this will enable me to write more. Also, please go to my new livejournal and look around. The link is in my profile. Please review.


	10. New Friends and Old Enemies

**New "Friends" and Old Enemies**

The sun was hanging high and hot in the cloudless blue sky as the group disembarked the train in Deling City. They all squinted as they moved into the light, out of the cool darkness of the train station.

The station was busy as they made their way down the sidewalk toward the bus stop. They all had bags slung over their shoulders. Seifer had found a new motorcycle just in time for the next race so the group had all journeyed to Deling to see the race, leaving the garage in the careful care of Nida, a young man who was going to school in Balamb. He was only sixteen but he loved cars and was a hard worker so the guys didn't feel anxious about leaving the garage in his care.

Rinoa had to go by the newspaper office from the train station and drop off a story she had written. She was going to hang out at the office with Quistis until her friend got off work and then they were going out to eat with Seifer, Squall, and Zell. Sally would have come with them but she couldn't get off work until Saturday. She was going to take the 1 o'clock train and meet them in time for the 3 o'clock race.

As the bus Squall and Zell were going to take pulled up to the stop Squall hugged Rinoa. Against Squall's better judgment and protective wishes, Rinoa was walking from the train station to the newspaper office in the downtown section of the city.

Giving Squall a kiss on the cheek and waving to Zell, she turned away from the train station and the boys boarded the bus, Squall keeping his eyes trained on Rinoa. She rounded a corner, out of sight. He sighed and Zell patted his friend on the shoulder.

"She'll be fine man. She's lived here all her life, remember?" Zell said, trying to reassure his friend.

Squall just nodded absentmindedly, his eyes still staring at the last spot he saw her.

"You've got it bad," Zell commented absently, watching his friend's face.

"I'm falling for her Zell," he said quietly, turning to look his shorter friend in the face. Zell blue eyes widened but he smiled at his friend.

"She's good for you," he replied. "But if you hurt her Quis is gonna kill you," he said.

Squall's blue eyes narrowed and he glared at his friend. "Yeah, thanks for that reminder."

Zell just laughed as the bus began to move.

* * *

The familiar bustle of the city was in full swing as Rinoa walked down the sidewalks of her hometown. Busy men in suits and women in dresses were walking quickly and purposefully down the streets, too intent on their work and schedule to appreciate the beauty of the city around them.

Crossing the street, Rinoa, clumsy as always, tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, spilling her papers all over the ground as she hit the sidewalk. A hand attached to an unseen arm extended itself in front of her face. Blushing in embarrassment and gritting her teeth at the pain in her knees, she took the hand and the mystery helper pulled her to her feet. Looking up at the person who was still holding her hand she smiled sheepishly in greeting.

"Thanks," she said, blushing furiously. The man in front of her was gorgeous. He was tall and thin with long auburn hair that was pulled back into a long pony tail. His honey colored eyes were giving her a look of confusion from under a black felt cowboy hat.

"You okay miss?" he asked in a rich drawl. She blushed again and blinked, breaking her stare as an image of Squall floated to the top of her mind.

Pulling her hand gently from his grasp, she kneeled down and started to gather her scattered papers. The cowboy stranger crouched down and helped her again. Handing her a stack of papers, he introduced himself.

"I'm Irvine," he said as she took the stack from his hands.

"Rinoa," she said shortly, still blushing.

"Nice to meet you Miss Rinoa," Irvine drawled, shaking her hand as she shifted her papers.

"Yeah, you too," she said, avoiding looking at him. "Um, I'm late for a meeting. I have to go," she said, looking up the block at the office building that was her goal.

"Not a problem, I have to be going too," the cowboy said, tipping his hat to her as she got back to her feet, hurrying towards the newspaper office.

Brushing himself off, the lanky man moved down the street in the opposite direction after sparing a long look backwards. He continued through the city, out of the downtown section, until he reached the largest house in the city.

He knocked at the front door and the doorman let him in with no questions.

"The general is in his study," the doorman stated, moving to lead the cowboy to the study.

'That's okay, I know how to find it," Irvine said, waving the butler back. The man just nodded and moved back to his spot against the wall.

General Caraway looked up from his mountain of paperwork as the cowboy let himself into the study.

"Irvine," he greeted as the other seated himself in front of the general's large desk. "Keeping out of trouble?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yes sir," the lanky man stated. A picture on the bookcase behind the desk drew his attention and he pointed at it.

"Who's that?" he asked, a curious tone in his voice as he looked at the picture of a dark haired teenage girl.

"That's my daughter, Rinoa," Caraway said slowly, picking up the photo gently.

"Where was she going?" Irvine asked.

The general put the picture down quickly before he answered. "What do you mean, where is she going?" he asked, confused.

"I just saw that girl walking downtown," the cowboy responded, frowning.

"Really?" the older man asked excitedly.

Irvine nodded, still confused. The general pulled a keyboard from a drawer and began to type furiously.

"Why would she be in the city? Did she bring that boy?" he was muttering to himself as he typed.

"She was heading towards the newspaper office," Irvine offered helpfully.

"Thanks," Caraway said absently as he picked up the phone.

_Hello, Deling City Chronicle. How may I help you?_

"Is Rinoa…Heartily in the office today?"

_She just came in actually. Do you want me to connect you?_

"Yes, please," he said before thrusting the phone into the surprised Irvine's hands.

"Did you take anything from her?" Caraway asked Irvine quietly. The cowboy nodded sheepishly, puling a ring on a chain and a wallet from the inside pocket of his long cattleman's coat.

"Tell her she dropped them and find out where she's going to be tonight," he hissed as Irvine put the phone up to his ear with a nod.

* * *

Rinoa entered the office, flustered and out of breath. She had barely put her stuff down in Quistis' office when the phone rang. Quistis answered and frowned, glancing up at Rinoa.

"It's for you," she said, extending the phone to her friend.

Rinoa took it and talked for a minute before her free hand shot to her neck in surprise. She thanked the person on the other end of the line and explained how she was going to be at the speedway the following night. After another minute of listening she agreed and thanked the person again before hanging up.

"So, who was that and why did you invite him to the race tomorrow?" Quistis asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh, that was some guy I ran into outside. I dropped my wallet and my ring and he wants to meet us at the speedway to give them back," she explained.

"And how did he know you were here?"

"I guess he saw me run in here," Rinoa reasoned.

"So he's gonna meet you at the speedway and give you your stuff back?"

Rinoa nodded, "That's the plan."

"Just do me a favor and make sure Squall or Zell is with you when you go to meet him, okay?" Quistis asked, worried about her best friend's safety.

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Yes mom," she said sarcastically. "The way Squall's been recently, he probably won't let me go anywhere by myself anyways," she added with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Quistis asked, grinning.

Laughing, Rinoa told Quistis about Squall's reluctance to let her go to the office by herself.

Quistis just smiled and nodded. "You're getting to him," she said, grinning.

"Oh, hush. That's just how he is," Rinoa objected, blushing.

"Yeah, but only with certain people and he does it a lot more with you than with anyone else."

"Squall doesn't treat me that much differently," she objected, her voice telling Quistis that she was trying to convince herself more than convince her friend.

"He loves you!" Quistis exclaimed, pointing a finger at her friend, teasingly.

"No, he doesn't," Rinoa objected, her jaw dropping.

"Squall and Rinoa, sitting in a tree," Quistis sang loudly, laughing.

Rinoa jumped to her feet, blushing bright red. "Quistis Trepe! You stop it!"

Childishly, Quistis ran out of the office, still singing, with Rinoa in hot pursuit. Dodging in and out of the other workers, they ran through the office, laughing and grinning like the kids they were.

* * *

Irvine was thoroughly confused when he hung up the phone.

"So, um, why did I just do that?" he asked a grinning Caraway.

"You are going to break up my daughter and the boy she's dating."

"Uh, why?"

"Because he's Loire's son and can't be trusted," the old man stated, turning his computer monitor to show Squall's school, medical, and police records.

"This says that he's President Loire's adopted son, not his real son," Irvine pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that you break them up," the general insisted, starting to get angry.

Irvine shrugged. "Seems mean but you're the boss," he agreed quickly as a vein began to throb in the old man's forehead.

"That's right, I am the boss. And you'll keep that in mind if you don't want certain things to come back and hurt your career," he threatened.

Irvine was a pickpocket and a thief. General Caraway had found out what he was when the cowboy had been caught in the mansion stealing a jewelry box. The crafty general had agreed to hide Irvine's records if the cowboy would agree to do things for him. In addition to being a good thief and pickpocket, Irvine was an excellent shot.

Caraway had gotten the young man a spot in a prestigious Galbadian Army sniper's unit. He would get the thief time off whenever he had a "private" job he needed the young man to attend to. Irvine loved his position in the unit so, in order to keep the job and avoid getting sent to D-District Prison, he had to agree to help the general with whatever was asked of him.

With a sigh the lanky cowboy stood up.

"Anything else?" he asked, turning to go.

The general shook his head and the younger man left. Smiling eerily, Caraway picked up the picture of Rinoa and put it back in its place on the bookcase, laughing to himself.

AN: I'm sooooo sorry for the incredibly long wait for this thing. My only excuse is college - this semester is a lot harder than last semester and I've had to devote more time than I would have liked to doing papers and researching stuff. We just had midterms last week and this next week is Spring Break but I don't know how much writing I'll be able to get done because I'm not going to be around a computer all week. I'll just have to write it by hand and type it up when I get back to school. Hopefully it won't take as much time to get the next chapter of Second Chances up. I can dream...just kidding, I have a basic plot for the chapter already planned out so it shouldn't be hard to write it - I just have to find the time.


	11. Introductions and Escapes

**Introductions and Escapes**

Quistis was keeping a careful eye on Rinoa as they wandered around the concourse surrounding the speedway before the race. She knew her best friend well enough to know that, if she could, the brunette would sneak off to meet the strange man just to prove to Quistis that she could take care of herself.

Quistis had told Squall about what was going on and the brunette was also watching his girlfriend anxiously. Living in Balamb his whole life had left him with wariness towards people in large cities like Deling. He most definitely didn't like strange cowboys who wanted to meet his girlfriend at the speedway by herself.

Rinoa was pretending that she couldn't tell that both Squall and Quistis were keeping a close eye on her. She and Sally were chatting idly as they weaved their way through the crowds toward the box they were sitting in. Zell, Squall, and Quistis were in front of them, leading the way knowledgably.

Seifer had been racing since they were in high school so the group was well known at the speedway and walked confidently through the crowded concourse. They got to their ordinary box, greeting the track's owner as he walked past the door.

"Seifer's found a new bike I see," he commented idly as he watched the blonde checking over the bike out the large window that dominated one entire wall of the room. Squall nodded and excused himself.

"Speaking of that, I should probably get down there and get started," the mechanic spoke as he waved to his friends and moved to head down to the pit area. The rest of the group waved and the track owner used the young man's exit to excuse himself.

Glancing at her watch, Rinoa noticed that it was almost time for her to meet the cowboy to get her wallet and ring back. She was edging toward the door when Quistis cleared her throat.

"Going somewhere?" the blonde was leaning casually against the large window. Zell was standing beside her, laughing behind his hand as he saw the sheepish look on the guilty brunette's face.

"Oh yeah, I was going to go grab something to drink," Rinoa explained quickly.

"I think I'll go with you. I'm kind of thirsty, myself." Quistis responded, elbowing Zell and making him jump.

"Oh yeah, me too," he spoke up.

Rinoa rolled her eyes and Quistis smirked as she moved away from the wall and out the door.

"Come on Rin, just let us go with you. What could it hurt?" the blonde asked as she pulled Rinoa out the door. Rinoa sighed and shook her head.

"Let's go," she said with a rueful smile. Quistis and Zell were careful to stay on either side of the grinning brunette as they walked back towards the concession stands.

As they got in line Squall joined them, sliding his arm comfortably around Rinoa's shoulders. A loud laugh behind them caused him to tense instantly, his arm stiffening across her shoulder. A horrified glance over his shoulder confirmed his fears and he groaned.

Laguna was behind them, his arm around a woman with long black hair that was tied back in a pony tail. As Squall turned away Laguna spotted him and exclaimed loudly. He began waving excitedly, the woman joining him when she spotted her foster son.

Squall groaned angrily and his teeth gritted as he turned away from his foster parents. Rinoa grimaced as his hand tightened on her shoulder, squeezing her painfully. She pinched his side to get his attention and he loosened his grip quickly as he saw what he was unconsciously doing.

"Sorry about that Rin," he said quietly, leaning his forehead down to hers in apology. She smiled and shrugged.

"It's okay."

An eager tapping on her shoulder caused her to look reluctantly backwards. Behind her stood a woman she had never met but it was obvious to her from the look on Squall's face that he knew the older woman.

"Hello," the woman greeted Rinoa politely, extending her hand to shake. Rinoa took it and smiled.

"I'm Rinoa," she offered.

"I'm Raine, Squall's mother," Laguna's wife replied.

"It's nice to meet you."

Behind Rinoa Squall was still gritting his teeth, glaring over his mother and girlfriend's shoulders to where his 'father' was standing in line, bouncing on his toes in excitement. Squall rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the conversation in front of him.

"…and how long have you and Squall known each other?" Raine asked.

"Well…it's been…" Rinoa started to answer.

"It's been two months," Squall interrupted, his blue gaze cold as he looked down at his mother.

"TWO MONTHS!" Raine yelled. "It's been TWO MONTHS and you haven't told me or Ellone!"

Squall moved forward, prepared as always to argue with his mother. Unconsciously, he used his grip on Rinoa's shoulders to move her behind him.

"I didn't tell you because it's none of your business. If you wanted to know so bad, maybe it would have helped me know that if you had showed even the slightest bit of interest in my life up until now," Squall shot back.

"Well, if you hadn't pushed us all away maybe I would have gotten the chance," his foster mother responded. Quistis and Zell, trying to diffuse the tension that was boiling, moved to stand between them. Quistis greeted Raine, moving her back from Squall while Zell gently pushed Squall forward into the still moving concession line.

Neither pair noticed that Rinoa had slipped away during the arguing.

* * *

Glancing back over her shoulder guiltily, Rinoa muttered an apology as she slipped through the crowd away from the concession stand. She looked quickly at her watch as she walked towards the information stand where she was meeting the cowboy. She would only be a few minutes late. She just hoped he had waited. With this thought in mind she began to jog towards her destination.

Irvine sighed as he stood leaning against the information stand. The girl was late. He was bored. Just as he was about to walk off, Caraway appeared from the crowd.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, pulling the cowboy back to the booth.

"I was just gonna go look for her," Irvine tried to explain.

"You are not to move from this spot," the general ordered in a hiss. The tall cowboy spotted his target jogging towards him and he grabbed the old soldier's shoulder.

"What are you…" he started to demand.

"She's coming," Irvine said quickly, pushing the general back toward the crowd. He got the hint and disappeared into the concourse.

"Was that…?" Rinoa started to ask as she halted in front of the smirking cowboy.

"Pardon?" he asked politely, leaning down a little bit to hear her better in the loud room.

"Oh, I just thought I saw someone I recognized but it couldn't possibly be him," she replied, still looking in the direction Caraway had disappeared.

* * *

Squall and Raine's argument was in full swing when Quistis finally noticed that Rinoa was gone. Shooting a frightened look at Zell, she grabbed Squall's arm and tugged, breaking his attention away from his seething foster mother.

"Squall, Rinoa's not here," she said, trying to keep him from freaking out.

"What do you mean, she's not here?" he asked, his voice rising in panic. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she replied helplessly.

"Do you know where she was supposed to meet that guy?" he asked, almost frantic.

She squinted, trying to concentrate and remember. Squall impatiently shook her and she glared at him.

"I won't if you don't quit shaking me," she said and his hands were instantly off of her arms.

"If I remember correctly, she said they were supposed to meet at the information desk," she said, barely getting her sentence out before Squall was bolting away.

* * *

When the distracted brunette didn't look towards him again, he cleared his throat quietly beside her ear. Jumping in surprise, she was shocked by his proximity and stepped backwards quickly.

"Sorry ma'am. I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized quickly, stepping back as well.

"Do you have my things?" she asked, changing the subject. This strange cowboy was beginning to freak her out. She decided that the sooner she got back to Squall and the others, the better.

He nodded and fished the wallet and the chain and ring out of his deep pockets. She extended her hand and he deposited them quickly. She immediately slipped the wallet back into her pocket and expertly clasped the chain around her neck. Her fingers went almost automatically to the ring that now rested on her chest.

"Thank you," she said quickly with a nod and turned to head back to her friends.

His hand on her elbow stopped her in her tracks. Looking back at him over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow in question.

"Was there something else?" she asked, starting to get nervous.

"Let me walk you back to your friends. It's not safe for a young woman like you to be walking in this crowd by yourself," he offered, his voice silky and soft while his honey eyes were pleading with her to agree.

"That's very chivalrous but I can take care of myself," she declared, pulling her elbow out of his hand firmly as she wrenched her eyes off him.

Just then, Squall broke out of the crowd and skidded to a halt beside Rinoa. She looked up at him, relieved and hugged his arm quickly.

"What's going on Rinoa?" he asked her quietly, not taking his eyes off the surprised looking cowboy.

"Nothing. He gave me my stuff back and I was just leaving to come meet you," she replied as his arm wrapped around her waist.

Irvine nodded to Squall and received a tiny nod in response.

"It was good to meet both of you," the cowboy said, extending his hand to shake Squall's. The other man didn't even move. After a moment of silence, Irvine pulled his hand back. "As fun as this is, I have to be going now," he drawled, trying to hide his uncertainty about the whole situation. Shooting a backward glance over his shoulder, he moved away from the pair into the confusion of the crowd.

A loud bell began ringing over the loudspeaker, signifying the beginning of the race. Rinoa looked up at Squall, hoping to explain but the loud noise prevented her from doing it. Sighing, he took her hand and began leading her back towards their box.

They had a lot to talk about.

AN: Wow! I bet you all think I died...I'm sorry for the enormous wait - this is the worse one I believe. All I can say to excuse myself is that real life sometimes interferes with my writing...I'm not gonna go and list all of the numerous things that have been going on in my life, just trust me that it was incredibly time consuming and I apologize and pray that any of the seven of ya'll that we're reading still want to... :-) The next updates shouldn't be too long in coming - I'm even hoping to update Ballroom Dancing soon - Also might add some chapters to my Harry Potter fic if some of you FF8 fans are into HP.


	12. A Blast from the Past

**A Blast from the Past**

"So he was just giving me my stuff back," Rinoa completed her explanation as they reached the door of her apartment. The explanation of what had happened at the speedway had had to be postponed until after the race, Squall had spent the entirety of the time in the pit area.

"Well it was still weird," Squall stated, not willing to budge on the matter. "He had no reason to ask to meet you alone and I don't trust him."

"Squall," Rinoa sighed as she unlocked her door. "It's not like we'll ever even see him again," she stated, moving into her kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked as she opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. When he didn't respond Rinoa turned to look at the still open door.

"Squall?" she asked as she poked her head out the door. "What are you looking at Squall?" He seemed to be transfixed by an open door a few apartments down the hall.

Rolling her eyes, Rinoa took his arm and shook him. "Hey Squall," she whispered in his ear as she stood on her toes. He jumped in surprise and looked down at her quickly.

"Whatcha looking at?" she repeated. His jaw moved up and down as he attempted to speak but no words came out.

Still stammering unintelligibly, his gaze was drawn almost automatically to look back at the doorway down the hall. Rinoa followed his eyes and saw a girl coming out of the apartment.

Frowning in thought she tugged on Squall's arm to get his attention. "Do you know her or something?"

As Rinoa spoke, the other girl's attention was drawn to the pair. The newcomer's green eyes widened in surprise and a hand went to cover her mouth as she caught sight of Squall. Seeming to come to a decision, the new girl began to walk down the hall towards them.

"Selphie," Squall whispered as he leaned closer to Rinoa. Her jaw dropped in surprise as she looked over Squall's shoulder to get a better look at the approaching girl.

"That's her?" she asked, looking back up at him. He nodded and Rinoa frowned.

As Squall heard Selphie's approach behind them he took a quick step closer to Rinoa as he leaned down and whispered quickly in her ear. "Please don't slap me," he breathed. She only had time for a second of confusion before his lips met hers and all the breath rushed out of her body as her eyes slid closed.

Feeling her knees weakening as he opened his mouth and deepened the kiss, Rinoa leaned back against the wall, her arms going around Squall's neck to keep him close. He obliged her, gently resting his hands on her hips as he stepped in even closer, pressing her to the wall.

After what felt like a small eternity to the couple, he gently broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers as they tried to catch their breath.

"Okay?" he asked in a whisper, silently praying that she wasn't going to slap him for kissing her like that.

"Perfect," she breathed, her eyes still closed as she smiled.

The sound of a throat clearing behind them caused Rinoa to groan as Squall pulled back from her and turned to face the intruder.

"Selphie," he greeted, his eyes cold and his voice frosty.

"Hi, Squall," the girl responded slowly, her green eyes traveling between Squall and Rinoa silently.

"This is my girlfriend Rinoa," Squall introduced, almost glaring at the girl that is standing in front of them, seemingly still in shock at seeing Squall.

Rinoa stepped forward to stand beside Squall, extending her hand to shake as she did so.

"It's nice to meet you," she said politely, a frown on her face.

"Squall and I used to date," Selphie stated suddenly, staring almost defiantly at Rinoa without shaking her hand.

Rinoa opened her mouth to respond but Squall beat her to it. "You call that dating?" he asked angrily. "You were using me; the whole time. You have the nerve to call what you did to me dating?" he shot, his blue eyes staring at her accusingly.

Selphie's green eyes widened in surprise and she gaped at him. "What are you talking about?" she screeched, standing on her toes to get in his face.

"You were cheating on me from the very first day we started going out. I cared about you Selphie. And you were just using me," Squall shouted, his fists clenched by his sides. Rinoa swallowed thickly and grabbed Squall's arm.

"Squall, it's okay," she said quietly, trying to calm him down. He whipped around to face her, his eyes startlingly hard for a few seconds as he stared down at her. Her hand continued to hold the sleeve of his leather jacket while her other hand moved up to gently touch his cheek. At her touch, his eyes softened noticeably and he exhaled slowly.

Rinoa stepped closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist while using her hold on his jacket sleeve to pull his arm around her shoulders. He didn't object and she squeezed his side reassuringly as he turned his head to face Selphie again.

"I don't know what you remember from our past and I don't care. I'm with Rinoa now. I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone," he said, his voice as cold as his icy blue eyes.

With that, they turned and walked into Rinoa's apartment, his arm still snugly around her shoulders.

Rinoa closed the door behind them, ignoring the shell-shocked Selphie standing on the other side, still gaping at the spot where Squall had stood.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly as she walked over to the table where Squall was sitting with his head in his hands. Rinoa knelt down in front of his knees and put her hands on his legs, letting him know that she was there.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, his voice muffled by the hands that he still held in front of his face.

She couldn't help but frown in confusion as she replied. "Why would I be mad? It wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't my fault?" he interrupted, lifting his head to look at her. "Are you serious? Of course it was my fault."

"You couldn't have known that she was moving in here. I'll admit that it wasn't exactly the best time we could have run into her but now its over with," Rinoa objected, shaking her head.

"You mean Selphie?" he asked, obviously confused. She nodded, just as confused as he was.

"Isn't that what you meant?" she asked.

"I was talking about kissing you," he said, his voice lowering to almost a whisper as an uncharacteristic blush spread across his face.

Rinoa blushed as well, lowering her eyes to stare at as unidentifiable spot on the floor somewhere between his knees.

"Is that a yes?" he asked, nervous. Her head shot up and she shook her head quickly, anxious to reassure him.

"No Squall. I'm not mad about that," she said, her cheeks turning red as she looked up at him. His blue eyes still looked anxious so she grabbed his arm and used it to pull herself up, sliding in under his arm to sit on his lap.

Seemingly of their own accord, his arms tightened around her, pulling her closer. She slid her left arm around his shoulders and her fingers slipped into his hair. Leaning her forehead against his temple put her mouth very close to his ear. He jumped slightly when she whispered lowly into his ear, her lips brushing the shell of his ear as she spoke.

"Now why would you think that I would get mad at you for kissing me like that?" she asked, smirking a little as she saw his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. "Hmmm?" she prompted.

"Selphie used to," he answered almost without thinking, he was more focused on the feeling of her breath on his ear.

When Rinoa pulled back he realized what he had said and turned his head to face his scowling girlfriend.

"I'm not Selphie, Squall," Rinoa stated seriously.

"I know that Rin. I do. I didn't mean to compare the two of you. There is no comparison," he said quickly, his arm tightening around her again, keeping her from getting away.

Satisfied, Rinoa slowly smiled at him, grinning whenever he let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh Squall, I love you," she said lightly, seeming to not notice what she had said as she leaned toward him and kissed him.

All of the breath left his body in an instant and he froze. Slowly he realized that he honestly didn't know if she had noticed or would remember what she had said. What surprised him was the wave of sadness that washed over him at the thought that she might not have meant it. Squall stopped thinking whenever he felt Rinoa deepen the kiss, his arms pulling her as close as they could to his chest.

It was this scene which Quistis, Seifer, Zell, and Sally walked into the apartment to witness.

As Quistis gasped and Sally's eyes widened, Seifer and Zell grinned widely. The boys let out wolf whistles as Quistis yelled, "Rinoa Julia Heartily, you get off of him right now!"

Surprised, Squall and Rinoa jerked their heads away from each other, although Rinoa did not remove herself from her seat on Squall's lap.

"Hi guys," Rinoa greeted their friends, trying to seem casual, despite the fact that her face was bright red. "What's going on?"

"Well, we all just came in to see you two making out like a couple of teenagers," Quistis said, overcoming her shock enough to smirk a little at her friends' discomfort.

"Um, Quistis, they are a couple of teenagers," Zell interjected, looking confused. The rest of the group laughed and Sally hugged Zell's arm as he scratched his head, still confused.

"And that's what you get for not knocking," Rinoa added, grinning at her best friend. Quistis rolled her eyes and moved to sit across the table from the seated pair.

"Hey," Seifer whined as Quistis sat down before he could slide into the chair underneath her. "How come Squall gets to have a beautiful girl in his lap and I don't?" he asked, mock pouting.

"You snooze, you lose," Quistis replied, smirking up at her boyfriend. A mischievous grin came to his lips and her smirk melted away as she recognized the look.

"Seifer…no," she said, trying to push him away with one hand. She couldn't stop him and before she could blink, Seifer was sitting in her lap, grinning and looking pleased with himself.

"Ooof," Quistis groaned as she tried to push his large frame off of her.

He just mimed folding his hands behind his head and leaning back, yawning as he did so.

"You should have let me be on the bottom," he said, smirking.

"There are other chairs," she shot back, still attempting to push him off.

Seifer just grinned. "I know there are but I happen to like my seat," he said, wiggling a little to get more comfortable. "Besides," he added with a wink and an even wider grin, "You know how I like to be on top."

Quistis' jaw dropped and she stared at him, seemingly in shock. Squall, Rinoa, Sally, and Zell were all staring as well, waiting for the explosion.

"Seifer," she hissed, her blue eyes narrowing as a blush crossed her face. "I cannot believe that you said that," she said, still almost growling.

Seifer was still just grinning at her. "What can I say? Romance was in the air," he said, shooting a wink at the gaping Squall and Rinoa.

"Oh, and speaking of romance, you'll never guess who has moved in down the hall," Squall said hastily, trying to change the subject.

Quistis turned her attention away from Seifer and looked across the table at the suddenly serious looking Squall and Rinoa.

"Who?" she asked them, frowning.

"Selphie," Squall said, scowling.

"You saw her?" Seifer asked, forgetting about teasing Quistis.

"Yeah, we ran into her when we were coming into the apartment," Rinoa answered, her fingers absentmindedly playing with Squall's hair.

"And what happened?" Quistis asked quietly, glancing between the two.

Squall sighed and quickly retold the story of the encounter in the hallway.

"And then we came back in here and talked a little and then started kissing," Rinoa finished.

"Yes, we saw that part," Quistis said, amused.

"You saw us talking?" Squall asked, anxiously.

Quistis shook her head slowly. "No, when we came in you two were already kissing."

Squall looked relieved and Quistis frowned.

"Why does it matter if we saw ya'll talking?" she asked.

"No reason," Squall insisted, his eyes silently pleading with her not to push the issue.

Quistis nodded slightly and let it drop. But he owed her an explanation and she meant to get it.

AN:Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you like this chapter! The next chapter of SC should be up soon...I hope.


	13. Surprises

**Surprises**

An envelope being shoved under the door drew Squall's attention away from his weightlifting and he moved through the living room and kitchen until he reached the front door. Bending down, he picked up the letter and moved back to stand at the kitchen table. He left the note lying on the table and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

As he sat down at the table there was a brief knock before Rinoa let herself in.

"Hey Squall," she said, leaning over his should to give him a quick kiss. She went to pull back and he leaned forward to keep their mouths connected.

Smiling against his lips, she broke the kiss. "I missed you too baby," she said, smiling at him as she put her hands on his bare shoulders and began to massage.

Squall let out an almost involuntary groan as his head fell forward onto his chest. Rinoa smiled to herself at the sound. Squall still wasn't very good at expressing his feelings but the little unspoken things he did told her exactly how he felt about her.

His moving to keep the kiss going had made her heart beat a little faster. Squall was hesitant to initiate physical contact so this signal that he enjoyed being with her was heartening.

As she continued to rub his shoulders she noticed that there was a small envelope in Squall's hand. "Hey, what's that?"

Squall's blue eyes slid open reluctantly and his head lifted slowly as he tried to regain his bearings. "Huh?" he asked, his voice sleepy and slow.

"That letter, what is it?" Rinoa asked, slowing her massage so that her boyfriend would retain his upper brain functions.

"Oh, it was shoved under the door a little while ago," he answered, turning it in his fingers as he spoke. "I was just about to read it when you came in."

Rinoa frowned, "Sorry Squall, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Squall turned around slightly in his chair and frowned up at her. "Are you serious? You never interrupt me Rin. You're way better than any silly letter or anything else."

She blushed and could feel her heart melt. Squall seemed to realize what he had said and an uncomfortable look came over his face.

"Oh Squall," she sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you so much," she breathed, scarcely audible as she leaned her head down to rest her chin on his shoulder, turning her head to press soft kisses onto the side of his neck.

Squall pulled away, looking down at her. "Rinoa?" he asked, sending her a questioning look. She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "Did you mean that?" he asked, apprehension evident in his voice.

Rinoa mentally panicked. Did I say that out loud? She wondered to herself. Do I really feel that way? As she looked into his blue eyes she found her question answered. She did love him. It had happened slowly, subtly, almost completely without her being consciously aware of it but it was there nonetheless. Blood began to pound through her head, making her lightheaded as she heard it rushing through her ears.

Squall was beginning to worry. Rinoa's face had gone pale and her hands had slipped from his shoulders and were gripping the back of his chair so tight that her knuckles were turning red. He pulled her hands off the back of the chair and held them in his own. His thumbs rubbed the backs of her hands, trying to get her to relax.

Without her hands holding her upright, Rinoa felt her knees weaken. That, coupled with her lightheadedness, caused her to lose her balance. As she began to fall Squall shot to his feet, sliding one arm quickly under her legs to stop her fall as his other arm went around her back to pull her up to his chest.

"Rinoa," he said anxiously, staring worriedly into her face. Her brown eyes were open, seemingly looking right at him but without actually seeing him. Squall carried her into the living room, depositing her gently onto the couch. She blinked and he could see her pupils shift so she was looking him right in the face. He grabbed her tightly and hugged her to him as he inhaled deeply in relief. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded, anxious to reassure him. She pulled back, looking him in the face.

"Squall," she started to speak but he hushed her, almost scared to hear what she was going to say. If she decided to leave him he didn't know what he would do. He wanted to know if she had meant what she had said but if it meant that he might lose her then he would rather not know.

As he sat there holding her tightly he realized exactly why he was so afraid of losing her…he was in love with her. It was a surprising revelation. It seemed so easy, just a shift from being friends to being…something more. And as he crouched next to the couch he understood that with her there was nowhere else to go, no other possibility. He was in love with her. The simple thought blew his mind. Crouching next to the couch where she was sitting, he felt his knees weaken and he fell forward onto his knees, his head falling down to rest on her shoulder. Rinoa caught his shoulders with her hands, keeping his head from sliding her chest into her lap.

"Squall, what's wrong?" she asked, running her hands through his hair. Squall pushed himself up and rocked back onto his feet so he was again crouched next to the couch.

As he looked into her eyes he realized that if he told her how he felt he ran the risk of losing her the same as if she completed her explanation.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. You're okay?" he asked her, changing the subject. She continued to look at him, not believing his answer. She could see something new in his eyes but she knew him well enough to know that it would take her awhile to get him to tell her what it was.

Rinoa nodded and Squall stood up, pulling her to her feet and into a hug. "I love you," he breathed into her hair, so silently that the words became a memory almost before they slipped off his tongue.

"Did you say something?" Rinoa asked, her head resting on his shoulder.

Squall shook his head, a tiny smile hiding at the corner of his mouth. He pulled back and she saw his smile and smirked up at him.

"What's that look for?" she asked, sliding her fingers through his.

"Oh, I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried," Squall said, looking down at her. She smiled widely and got up on her toes to press a kiss onto his cheek. He turned his face at the last moment and caught her lips with his.

At that moment Quistis and Seifer chose to knock loudly on the door. Separating with a groan, Squall almost shouted, "Come in," in frustration before recapturing Rinoa's lips, not caring for a second who might come into the apartment. Rinoa was taken by surprise but quickly adapted, tightening her arms around Squall's shoulders. Quistis rolled her eyes as she walked into the apartment, followed closely by Seifer.

"Is that all you guys do?" she asked, smirking as Rinoa broke the kiss, blushing. Squall turned his blue eyes on his best friends, not saying a word.

"Do you two even live in Deling anymore? You seem to spend an inordinate amount of time here with us," Rinoa countered, moving into the kitchen with a smile. She laughed as she hugged her friend while Quistis swatted her playfully on the shoulder. Squall came into the kitchen and seated himself at the table after nodding to Seifer. Watching Rinoa, his fingers began absently playing with the envelope that was lying on the table.

"Hey Squall, what's that?" Seifer asked as he joined his friend at the table.

Rinoa heard the question and curiously turned toward the table. Squall shrugged and slid his finger under the fold of the envelope, tearing it open. He pulled out a small card that he opened after glancing at the front briefly.

Rinoa was watching him and saw the blood rush out of his face. He scowled and crumpled the card in his hands. "Squall, what is it?" Rinoa asked, moving to stand behind his chair.

"Selphie," the name grated between his teeth. Rinoa glanced over at Quistis, who was watching Squall, looking worried.

"What did she want?" Quistis asked, watching Squall anxiously.

"She had the guts to invite me to a housewarming party," Squall growled, meeting Quistis' eyes.

Seifer frowned. "She really hasn't changed," he said, taking the note from Squall's hands to look at it himself. Quistis jerked her head toward the living room, signaling Squall.

"Can I talk to you in the living room?" the blonde asked. Squall nodded without a word, squeezing Rinoa's hand before standing up and joining his friend in the other room.

"What's going on Squall?" she asked immediately. Squall didn't answer, just looked her straight in the face without speaking. "Don't think you can fool me. I've known you too long. I know something's going on. There was something going on the other day but I didn't push it. Now I want you to tell me."

Squall sighed heavily, pushing his hair back with his hand. "I love her," he stated simply, looking at the floor.

"Selphie!" Quistis asked, aghast. Squall shook his head angrily, staring at his friend. "Rinoa," she realized, dropping back to sit on the couch quickly. "You love Rinoa," she said again. Squall hushed her swiftly, peering anxiously over his shoulder towards the kitchen. "You haven't told her?" Quistis whispered this time, looking through the doorway to the kitchen to where she could see Rinoa and Seifer at the table.

"She said it first but she doesn't seem to remember saying it. She just keeps going with the conversation or today, when I asked her about it, she seemed to black out or something and when she woke up I was too glad to bring it back up."

Quistis stared up at her friend. "Squall, I'm sure she doesn't realize what she's doing. She would never hurt you intentionally," she tried to reassure him.

Squall nodded and sighed as he sat down next to her. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Rinoa was trying not to overhear the conversation that was going on in the living room, forcing herself to focus on her chit chat with Seifer. She could dimly hear Squall and Quistis' voices in the back of her mind but she couldn't hear the words at all. Whenever Quistis yelled Selphie's name, however, Rinoa's mind went into overdrive. Could there be more history there than either Squall or Quistis wanted to tell her? Was there some reason that Selphie might have chosen to live in their apartment building?

Shaking her head, she stopped herself. There was nothing going on. Squall would never hide something from her. They were just talking about the invitation. That was all. Blinking, she realized that Seifer was giving her a strange look. "Sorry Seifer. I just zoned out there for a second."

Seifer waved it off, smirking. "It's okay. I can guess what was going through your head." She looked confused so he continued. "Quis just said Selphie's name really loud. I saw the look on your face. You're scared of her."

"I am not!" Rinoa protested.

Seifer quickly held up his hands. "Now wait. I didn't mean that you're afraid of _her_ exactly; you're afraid of what her coming here means for you and Squall. That's all I meant."

Flushing and smiling sheepishly, Rinoa sighed. "You might be right Seifer."

"Well you shouldn't worry about that," Seifer replied. "Squall wouldn't go back to her."

"And what makes you so sure?" Rinoa asked despite herself.

Seifer spoke confidently. "Puberty boy is crazy about you. You can see it. He's different when he's with you. He's not gonna mess that up."

Rinoa felt relief wash over her and she relaxed, not realizing how tense she had been. Seifer leaned forward on his arm, grinning at her. "And it appears that you're pretty attached to him as well."

Rinoa blushed but was saved from replying as Squall and Quistis returned.

"So what are you going to do about that invitation?" Seifer asked, leaning back into his chair as Squall sat down next to Rinoa.

"I was thinking about going actually," he replied. Quistis' head whipped around from where she was looking into the fridge to stare at Squall in disbelief. Rinoa fought hard to keep the disappointment from showing on her face.

Seifer raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rinoa as he continued. "Any reason why?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Squall glanced up at Quistis' shocked expression before he answered. "I'm going to show her how much better my life is now, without her." He stopped speaking for a moment, moving his gaze to the girl sitting beside him. "Will you go with me?" he asked Rinoa. She turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "You're the reason it's so good so you should be there with me," he said simply, answering her unasked question.

Quistis and Seifer were watching silently, waiting for Rinoa's reply.

A tiny smile touched her lips and she nodded, taking his hand. "I'll go."

AN: I know it took forever but I really had no time to work on this. School started back and I just got busy. I've been working on it a peice at a time but I kept losing track of where this chapter was going. Finally got there. Hope it was worth the wait.


	14. History Lesson

**History Lesson**

Squall sighed as he tightened his tie while he waited for Rinoa to finish getting dressed. His black sports coat was lying across the back of a chair in Rinoa's kitchen. Squall was wearing a black dress shirt with a red tie and black slacks and shoes. Nervousness was starting to set in the longer he waited. Compulsively he loosened his tie again. Rinoa grinned at him as she moved into the kitchen wearing a creamy dress that ended right above her knees. A thin silver chain that was holding a gold ring was visible around her neck, the ring resting right above her cleavage, causing Squall to swallow thickly before moving his eyes quickly to her face. Rinoa stood up on her toes, eyes twinkling at him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Her fingers tightened his tie and used the knot to pull his head down to hers as she put her heels down. He kissed her quickly, his hands sliding around her back to pull her body closer to his. After a few moments he pulled back slowly, keeping her close to him.

"Should we go over?" he asked reluctantly. She sighed and nodded slowly. He stepped back, grabbing his coat and slipping into it before he offered his arm to Rinoa. She slipped her arm through his and straightened his tie one last time with her free hand. He led the way out the door and they set off down the hall towards the new tenant's apartment.

Selphie looked momentarily surprised to see them at her door but she covered it quickly, a well practiced smile sliding in place to hide her shock at their arrival.

"Squall, nice to see you again," she gushed, standing on her toes and stretching out her arms to hug him. Squall stepped back smoothly and stared at her, his meaning clear. Sighing, Selphie frowned and stepped away from him. Rinoa had to bite her lip to keep a smile from breaking onto her face as she watched the interaction. "And you are?" Selphie asked, her voice frosty as she shot a thinly veiled glare towards Rinoa.

Squall stepped forward again, a hand coming around Rinoa's waist. "This, as you already know, is my girlfriend Rinoa. She also lives next door to me, in 29B," he said politely, smirking as Selphie noticeably scowled.

Running her eyes disdainfully over the pair, Selphie stepped back from the door and let them into the apartment. There were people everywhere and from further back in the apartment a stereo could be heard. "Have a good time," she said coldly, barely closing the door behind them before walking quickly away from them. Squall and Rinoa looked at each other and shrugged, dismissing her from their minds. Rinoa absently wound her fingers through Squall's as she looked around the kitchen where their host had left them. People were milling around everywhere and there were several small conversations clumped together around the room.

* * *

A tall man in a cowboy hat stood up a little straighter as he stretched up a bit so he could get a better look at the couple that had just come into the apartment. Irvine groaned to himself as he recognized the girl he had been tailing at the race track. If General Caraway found out he had seen her again with that Leonhart guy he was going to be in big trouble when he got back to Galbadia. 

Ducking his head back down, he pulled his hat forward a bit so the brim shaded his eyes a bit. If he could avoid encountering the general's daughter or her boyfriend maybe he could keep them both out of trouble. The general really couldn't blame Irvine for not doing anything if Irvine didn't see Rinoa.

The cowboy quickly glanced around the apartment. Spotting Selphie, he excused himself from the conversation he was in and made his way to where Selphie was standing.

"It was good to see you and I'm glad you invited me, but I have to leave. Now," he said quickly.

Selphie frowned up at her friend and ex-boyfriend as she spoke. "What's wrong Irvine?"

"The couple that just came in, I'm in the middle of a job for her father so seeing them is not good for me right now," he hastily explained.

"Squall and Rinoa?" she asked. "Her father is General Caraway?"

"Yeah and he'll be furious if he finds out I've seen them and don't tell him about it."

"Your job concerns them? You don't have to kill them do you?" she asked worried.

He shook his head. "No, Caraway just doesn't like Leonhart."

"You're killing Squall?" she asked loudly.

Irvine clapped his hand over her mouth, hushing her as people turned to look at them. "Shh, no, I'm not killing him. I'm just supposed to break them up." He took his hand off her mouth as he finished speaking.

"So when your job is over, they'll be broken up?" she asked excitedly.

Irvine nodded. "I didn't want the assignment but if I don't do it my career is over. It's not all bad though. She's beautiful. I don't think she'll stay single for long after he's gone," he said with a smirk as he looked at the General's oblivious daughter.

"Going after Caraway's daughter isn't a good idea," Selphie warned.

"Well he's basically asked me to!" the sniper defended himself. "And you can't tell me you don't want Squall back," he added with a glare.

"Oh shut up Irvine. You cannot still be jealous about that. You knew from the very beginning that I was with both of you," Selphie shot back.

"Well, excuse me if I didn't expect you to toss me when he finally found out about it and left you," the sniper said back angrily.

"I can't talk to you when you're like this," Selphie said with an angry pout.

The tall cowboy just shot her a withering look. "Well then it's good I'm leaving then!" he said, stomping his way through the crowd and quickly exiting the apartment.

* * *

Squall's ears perked up as he heard his name loudly spoken from in the corner of Selphie's living room. Standing up straighter, he peered around the room. He could see Selphie standing with a tall man in a leather cattleman's coat and a black cowboy hat. He saw the tall man shush Selphie and frowned as he recognized the cowboy from the race track. 

Rinoa glanced over at Squall as she talked with a short, spiky-haired blonde man named Cloud that lived across the hall from Selphie. Taking Squall's hand, she squeezed and he snapped his attention back to their conversation.

"So, Squall, you grew up around here?" the spiky-haired man asked.

Squall nodded wordlessly, trying to keep his eyes on the cowboy and Selphie.

"Squall," Rinoa prompted, nudging him with her elbow.

"Oh, sorry, got distracted," he apologized. "I grew up in the orphanage here in Balamb and was adopted when I was eight," Squall said, glancing at Rinoa with a tiny smile. She winked at him and grinned.

"Do your parents still live on the island?" Cloud asked curiously.

Squall felt his small smile slip at the mention of his foster parents. "Uh, no, actually my foster father is the president of Esthar," he said uncomfortably.

"Really? Your father is Laguna Loire?"

"Well, foster father," Squall clarified.

"Do you have any interest in politics?" their neighbor asked curiously.

Squall shook his head, looking sideways at Rinoa as she covered her laughter at his awkwardness with a cough. "Not really. I'm actually a mechanic."

"Why didn't you follow in your father's path? I'm sure being the son of the president gave you lots of opportunities. Why not do something else?"

"Well my family sent me to the Garden here but I didn't want to continue that," Squall said simply.

Rinoa frowned in confusion. "What's so special about the Garden? There's one in Deling but I thought it was just a prep school."

Squall looked at her in shock. "Your father is General Caraway and you don't know what the Garden is?"

"Wait a second!" their neighbor interrupted before Rinoa could reply. "Your dad," he said pointing at Rinoa. "…is General Caraway. And yours," he said pointing at Squall, "is Laguna Loire and you two are dating?" he asked in surprise.

Squall turned his attention momentarily from Rinoa to stare at the blonde man. "What's the big deal about that?" he asked.

"Are you serious? You don't know about Julia?" the astonished man asked.

"Mom? What about my mom?" Rinoa asked, frowning.

"Your mother used to date Laguna Loire. They were separated when he left Deling to fight in the war. He got sent away from Galbadia and ended up wounded in Winhill after escaping from Esthar. By the time he managed to get back to Deling, she was with Caraway. It had been years since he had been in the city and she had apparently moved on. The next thing anyone knew, he was back in Winhill with Raine," Cloud explained briefly.

Squall frowned. "How do you know all of this?"

The man shrugged. "I'm Galbadian. It's fairly common knowledge there that Caraway hates Loire. He was always afraid Loire would come back and take her away from him."

"Mom loved Dad," Rinoa objected, frowning angrily.

"And Laguna is happy with Raine," Squall said. "Sometimes unbearably so," he added in a monotone, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not trying to argue with either of you," the blonde man said, raising his hands. "I was just surprised that neither of you knew about the history between your parents."

"Dad never mentioned it," Rinoa said quietly.

Squall noticed that Rinoa was looking troubled and quickly excused them from their neighbor, putting an arm around her waist and leading her into the kitchen.

"Rin are you okay?" he asked, leaning his head down to look into her face. She nodded but he continued to watch her anxiously. "Do you want to go home?"

Rinoa shook her head and look up at him. "My father, he's not going to let us stay together. I know him."

Squall interrupted her quickly. "Rinoa, your father can't stop us from being together," he objected. "I'm not going to leave you just because Laguna dated your mother."

"Squall, no, you don't understand. My father isn't just going to sit back and let us be together. He'll do something to try and break us up," Rinoa explained, her voice rising in pitch as she realized exactly how their parents' pasts were going to affect them.

Something also clicked in Squall's head and he turned quickly to scan the crowded living room. Spotting the tall cowboy apparently arguing with Selphie, he turned back to look at Rinoa.

"Would he possibly get a cowboy to steal your wallet and then ask to meet you alone to get it back?" Squall suggested.

Rinoa frowned as she thought about it. "He wouldn't get anyone to kidnap me," she stated.

"Well, not to kidnap you, just to get you away from me; try and get you to like the cowboy better than me, maybe. Something like that…"

Rinoa gasped and her hands came up to cover her mouth as she realized what had been going on. She looked over her shoulder quickly and spotted the cowboy, quickly understanding the strange man's insistence that she meet him alone and her stupidity in stubbornly playing into his, and her father's, hands.

"Why would he be here?" she wondered aloud. "Do you think my dad might have sent him? How would he know we were coming here?"

Squall shrugged and put his arm around her shoulders. "I don't know. You would know better than me what he might do."

She looked at him seriously, swallowing thickly. "I'm scared of what he'd do Squall. What if he actually tries to hurt you?" she asked, staring up at him.

He pulled her into his arms, hugging her back as she squeezed him tightly. "He can't hurt me Rinoa. I promise you. He can't hurt me."

"You can't say that Squall. You can't promise me that," she said, close to tears.

"Shh, Rin. I promise you, I'll be fine. He can't hurt me," he said again, trying to calm her down.

"How? How can you promise me that?" she demanded.

"I was trained at the Garden," he said simply.

"I don't understand what that means. How does that keep you safe?"

Squall sighed as he explained. "Garden is a mercenary school," he said quietly.

"You're a mercenary?" she asked in shock, pulling back to look into his face.

"Well, I went there and graduated but I'm not a mercenary. I was trained in combat but I never went to war or anything." He paused. "Well, except against Seifer," he clarified.

"Seifer went to Garden too?" she asked. He smirked and nodded.

"Yeah. We were the only gunbladers in our class."

Rinoa frowned. "What's a gunblade?"

"I can show you my Lionheart when we go home," Squall offered.

Rinoa grinned up at him and hooked her fingers around his tie, pulling his head down. "Squall," she said in a chiding voice. "Are you sure we're ready for that at this point in our relationship?" she asked him teasingly, barely giving him a chance to look shocked before she stood up on her toes and kissed him.

As she pulled back slowly, Squall breathed deeply and licked his lips. "Seems like you're feeling better," he commented dryly. She laughed and hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh hush, you," she told him, grinning.

Squall put his hands up quickly. "You were the one who started it," he objected almost teasingly.

Rinoa sobered up as she noticed the cowboy pushing his way out of the apartment out of the corner of her eye.

"We're going to have to do something about this," she commented to Squall, who only nodded silently, following her gaze.

AN: I know! I'm terrible! It's been so long...but I think I needed to take the time - the holidays were really busy and now I'm back at school so I will get time in class to write (cause I don't pay attention in history...or sociology...or Brit Lit...or Spanish...) and I've been working on an overall plot for this story (which I didn't plan when I started...) but anyways...I'm gonna try and work on the next chapters for Apt 29B and Fool to Think (which already has an overall plot) at the same time so I canhopefully get them both out faster...


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